


Soul Mate

by ArtemisNyte7



Category: Twilight (Movies), Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Bella is a werewolf, Bella is clutzy, Emmett and Jasper are good big brothers, Fluff, Follows some plot elements of book, Found Family, Multi, Romance, The Cullens are a close knit family, The wolf pack comes in later, There is a difference between Children of the Moon and Shapeshifters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-05
Updated: 2018-11-30
Packaged: 2019-08-19 09:43:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 24,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16532132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArtemisNyte7/pseuds/ArtemisNyte7
Summary: Bella expected the mythical creature population of Forks, Washington to be a whopping one person once she moved there. An encounter her first night leads her down a path she never knew she would travel, filled with family, blood, and perhaps even love. That is, of course, assuming Vampires and Werewolves, enemies since the dawn of time could ever learn to love one another.





	1. First Sight

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! So I posted the original version of this story on ff.net in like 2013. Recently, I've gotten back into the fandom and revamped the story. You can find me both here and on ff.net under the same username! I enjoy feedback of all sorts. Hope you enjoy!

Bella never really noticed just how brown Phoenix, Arizona was. Or the hot, warm, comforting, ever-present dry heat which made getting out of bed in the mornings easier. Perhaps it was because she had always taken them for granted or hadn't thought to pay attention. After all, she thought she would stay in Phoenix for several more years. But alas it was not to be. No, instead she had given herself a self-imposed prison sentence in Forks, Washington, the greenest, wettest place in the world. Staring out the window on the way to the airport she tried to give herself a pep-talk, convince herself this could be good. Of course, this only succeeded in making her more miserable when she couldn't come up with any pros.

"You know you really don't have to do this," said the wonderful, loving, scatterbrained mother of her's from the driver seat as she glanced over at Bella. Renee was frowning, no doubt from the cloud of gloom surrounding her only and most favorite daughter. Bella straightened up and smiled at her as convincingly as possible.

"I know but I want to, and besides Phil needs your encouragement on the road. Don't worry Mom, I'll be fine." She smiled back at Bella, looking back at the road as she pulled off at the exit for the airport. Bella wasn't quite sure what she would do without her mother. They had always been there for each other, even if Bella was usually the one having to take care of her, but now she had a new boyfriend who she really seemed to love. His name was Phil and he played minor league baseball for a living. He was a nice man and made her mother happy but he traveled so much they weren't able to spend time together. Bella wished she could say she had decided to go to Forks purely so her mother could go and travel with Phil but she had other unspoken reasons for leaving, ones which were far more selfish in nature.

_Can be good._  The familiar rumbling voice of Red vibrated through her head, reminding Bella of why she was leaving, but not yet running away. They pressed against Bella's consciousness, a great wolf within Bella's mind's eye. See for all Bella might wish, she was not, well, normal by most people's standards. For nearly a year Red had been in her head and when the moon was right, out in the world, turning them into a bloodthirsty werewolf. At least, that's what Bella had first thought after she was bitten, a full moon attack she had only survived by the grace of two older werewolves coming to her rescue. No, Red was just hungry, and so long as she kept them fed, nothing bad should happen. Should being the keyword. There was always some level of danger for humans when they were around her. And it was hard to hunt for food that would not turn her into a monster when all that surrounded the great city she called home was suburbs and people. So she had decided to move to Forks and endanger her father and everyone who lived in the small town. How lovely.

The car slowed to a stop outside the airport. Two familiar figures were leaning against a wall. Bella couldn't help the small smile the sight gave her. Their presence made Red give a happy bark, Bella rolling her eyes at their antics. Renee noticed the two as well, waving out the wind to them before turning to look at Bella once more.

"Promise me that you'll take it easy. I know," her lip trembled as she bit her lip, Bella watching as her mother fought back tears. "I know you have more reasons than just Phil for leaving, and know that your Dad cares a lot and well, just don't forget you have people, a lot of people, all here for you."

Bella looked at her mom, whose eye shown, with her own tears bubbling up. But she wouldn't cry. She wouldn't make this harder on them both. Leaning forward, Bella wrapped her mother in a tight hug. Bella had never wanted a hug to last forever quite so badly. As all things do end though, eventually they had to pull apart. Tears had fallen down her mother's cheeks but she smiled despite it as the pair said their goodbyes. Bella hopped out of the car and grabbed her two duffle bags from the back seat.

Walking toward the two near the door, Bella felt her heart skip a beat. Joseph and Martha. The pair had done more for Bella then she even knew how to put into words. It had been them who found her, broken and bleeding beneath the claws and teeth of the werewolf who had attacked her. It had been them who saved her and when she inevitably turned, taught her about what she now was. They fell into step on either side of her as they walked into the airport.

"We sure are gonna miss you around here Bella," Martha said throwing an arm around Bella's shoulders, a soft smile lighting up her perpetually young face.

"You've got my number, I'm sure I'll come back down south after high school is over."

"You better, until then though I'm going to have to listen to her fret about this or worry about that. You'll owe me." Joseph laughed at the offended look Martha shot him.

"Admit it dear,"

"I will be no such thing, besides I'm going to be listening to all your  _fretting_  as well."

"Aw come on guys, you can get a room after I'm on the plane." They laughed, the sound off in Bella's ears, a tension not usually there blanketing the trio. Joseph had actually been the one to suggest Bella move to Forks. With the sparse animal hunting in Phoenix, it was hard to keep Red fed and reigned in. Both of them were older, over a hundred years older and even for them the city was sometimes hard. Even though the suggestion had come from them, it didn't make the goodbyes any easier. The pair seemed to have similar thoughts, Martha pulling Bella in for a bone-crushing hug at the security gate.

"Call us, anytime at all. We can make a trip up there if you need us for anything," Joseph said as he grabbed Bella too.

"Thank you," Bella said for what else could she say? They smiled and said their goodbyes, waiting by the gate until Bella finally lost them from her sight.

The trip to Washington was as uneventful as a plane ride could be with a wolf who hates flying occupying half her thoughts. Bella left the flight with a massive headache and nausea. Charlie was waiting for her at the gate, a large grin on his face as he gave her an awkward one-armed hug. Red moved more to the forefront of her mind, sensing this new person even though they were still sulking from the berating Bella had given them halfway through the flight.

_Nice? Smell bad metal, good person?_  Red asked, tilting their head.

_He's a cop, the gun is for protecting people, not hurting._  Bella clarified relieved that Red's change in mood was lessening the sick feeling in her stomach.

"Hey Bells, how was the flight?" He asked.

"Alright, really long though," he nodded his head and grabbed her bags off the conveyor belt. They walked out to his cruiser, Red shaking off their sulking to pepper Bella with questions on what they were sensing. Bella hopped into the passenger seat, patiently answering Red as her Dad began the drive to their new home. See while to her, Charlie was Dad, to the fair people of Forks, Washington he was Police Chief Swan. Bella could already hear the gossip and rumors people would spread when she went to school. Ah school, that was going to be fun. Bella Swan daughter of the Police Chief and first new person any of the student body had probably seen in years. Not to mention, she had the sinking feeling people knew about the incident. Granted it was her cover story, that she had been attacked by gang dogs who had gotten loose. Still, it wasn't going to make the task of making friends any easier.

Red had quieted when her worries for the future days took over her thoughts, leaving her in silence as Charlie was not much of a talker. Especially when he didn't know what to talk about. He briefly mentioned getting her a truck as a welcome home present. Bella didn't know if he was entirely serious, the idea being so amazing and outlandish she didn't really know how to respond. Sure enough though, when they pulled into the driveway of the little two-story building she would be calling home, there was a truck waiting for her. It was large, with a bulbous cab and durable look. The entire thing seemed like it had once been a bright red about three decades ago but was now just a dull faded color. Oddly enough she found herself liking the hideous contraption. Bella was glad she wouldn't have to ride to school in the police cruiser or walk the two miles there.

The inside of the house was exactly how she remembered from the summers she had been forced to stay here. Even her room still had remnants from when she had been a baby and young child. Thankfully the bed was upgraded and a desk with an old computer placed in the corner. At least some things had changed, however minor. Bella opened the window to let in some fresh air while it wasn't raining. The smell of the forest filled her nose and her stomach rumbled.

_Food?_  Red's question was valid. With the full moon only four days away they were even hungrier for fresh food than usual.

_If I can convince Charlie._  Red yipped at the thought and Bella had to remind them that they couldn't go far or be gone for long. She closed the window and started unpacking, glad Charlie wasn't a hoverer. She sent a quick text to Marth and her mom telling them she had made it to Charlie's house safely and about him getting her a truck. The bed was surprisingly comfortable, cushioning her fall as she flopped down onto her new bed. Bella winced as the action pulled at the scars on her side. Red whined.

_Safe?_

"Yeah I think we are, I mean it not like they're gonna be anything more dangerous than us in this little town." Red was pleased by this. Heaving a great sigh, Bella stood once more and heading downstairs to ask if she could go on a drive. Charlie was hesitant about the idea, but at Bella's insistence that it helped relax her he relented. At least that excuse worked because she would be needing lots of reasons to get out of the house unsupervised.

Worry for her new truck had Bella starting it with low expectations. The ancient beast roared to life, nearly deafening them until Red ratcheted down their hearing abilities to a more normal human level. Even then the truck could probably be heard by anyone within a three block radius. So no hunting near where she parked. Bella didn't feel like driving far, turning off on the first dirt side road that wasn't a driveway she came across. Pulling far enough in so no one would see the truck from the road.

_Safe?_  Bella asked. Red pushed out their senses, scanning the area for dangers. Not smelling anything Bella hopped out and began to undress. Her clothes were thrown on the floor of the truck, her whole body nearly vibrating with the excited energy Red was giving off.

_Short hunt, back at the house by sunset._  Bella ordered as she gave into Red, letting them take over. Her bones creaked and shifted beneath her skin, tendons and muscles rearranging their position. Bella bit her lip against crying out. The pain was less then it had been. Every shift she just had to remind herself of that fact. Faster too. Bella let go of the truck bed and fell onto four paws. Whitish-grey fur covered her body, shielding her from the nippy wind. Red shook themselves, working out the remaining pain. They lifted their face to the wind, scenting the air for anything worthwhile. A smell similar to that of the antelope they used to hunt came from the north. Red wasted no time in tracking.

Bella breathed easily as Red guided them through the forest, relaxing now that she was not fully in charge of controlling their body. Running with Red, the sheer speed and power they possessed was intoxicating. For all the pain and suffering Red had brought, Bella couldn't discount all the perks she had gained.

The scent was that of a buck. His antlers were sharp and his hooves strong but not nearly a match for a werewolf so close to the full moon. Red ended it's life before it even knew there was a danger. They tore into the creature, Bella silently giving thanks for such an easy and good meal. Red went for the best organ first, the heart, warming their stomach and taking the edge off the ever-present hunger. In Bella's opinion, all the other parts in the body barely equaled that of the heart. It wasn't just her either, all werewolves she had heard of craved the heart more than the rest of the body, though meat was meat in any sort of case.

A twig snap set Red on high alert, their attention having been focused solely on their meal. Red snarled, eyes focusing on the figure standing nearly twenty feet away, half hidden in the trees.

_Smells wrong. Our food!_  Red growled, ready to fight if the figure came any closer. Except they didn't. They stayed right where they were and the hunger overrode Red's sense of danger. They remained wary, looking up frequently as they polished off the remainder of the deer, breaking bones and tearing tendons to get every last bite they could. And the figure never moved.

_Not threat?_  Red was confused and Bella didn't have any answers.

_Should have attacked if they were, right?_

_Yes!_  Making up their mind, Red brought them closer to the person, licking the blood off their muzzle. No bird chirped nor bugs buzzed as they approach the man, standing still as stone. Bella thought he smelled of honey and pleasant flowers, along with an icy scent she couldn't place.

_Smells strong, threat? Not scared, not threat?_  Red was buzzing with questions, tilting their head and sniffing the air as they got closer and closer. The man stayed perfectly still, not even his bronze hair moving in the wind. One of his hands was partially outstretched. Red nervously getting close enough to feel the coldness of the hand against their snout. They liked the hand. It tasted like honey and ice. Shocked by the new discovery, Red didn't even notice the too fast movement until fingers were placed upon their head. Red growled and leaped back, hackles raised trying to look as threatening as they could. The man's hands were at his sides, raised in a supposedly calming manner. He slowly sat on the ground, extending one arm toward them, clicking his tongue as if to beckon a common dog. Red huffed at the injustice. Backing up but never turning their back on him. It was a skill Martha had drilled into them, right next to don't go up to strange creatures but that wasn't important at the moment. The man didn't move, though he looked disappointed. Even so, Red turned and fled when they got back to the remnants of their meal.

They ran till they were sure the man couldn't see them anymore, circling around to ensure he wasn't trying to follow them. He wasn't even there when they returned, his scent already fading. Assured they wouldn't reveal their secret, they ran back to Bella's truck as the sun hit the horizon.


	2. First Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bella attends her first day at Forks High School. Her tour guide and potential new friends aren't exactly what she was expecting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Thanks for reading this and for hitting that kudos button! Always love to hear your thoughts!

School didn't change much from Phoenix to here. It still smelled just the same as her old school had. Delicious was one word to call it, though not one she would ever mention to another. Bella pulled up to the school in her truck, killing the engine as soon as she was in a spot to not draw attention. Very few people were there, but the scent hung over the buildings like the thick blanket of fog did. Bella could make out the sounds of beating hearts, wincing at the hunger spike the sound brought and asking Red to tune out the sound. They complied, not wanting to cause her any more discomfort than was necessary. Taking a deep breath, Bella stepped out of the truck, ready to face whatever the day threw at her.

The main office was a stark contrast to the dreary cold of the outside. An older woman sat at the desk, not looking up when Bella arrived.

"Hello?" Bella asked, putting her hands on the desk. The woman sighed and looked up, blinking slowly. Her eyes widened and a mechanical smile slid into place.

"Hello, you must be Isabella Swan, Chief Swan's daughter right?"

"Uh, yes, but please just-"

"Here is your schedule and a map of the school. I'd suggest asking your first teacher if he can assign a guide for the day. Please fill out this slip and return it at the end of the day," the woman placed paper after paper in front of Bella, not pausing for a moment.

"Thank you-ah thanks?" Bella said as she tried to collect all the papers in her arms.

"Also, I hope you know we have a counselor and nurse on staff, if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask." Bella paused at her words, a stark reminder that yes, these people were all well aware of her cover story.

"I'll keep that in mind," No need to say she had issues no counselor could begin to comprehend and a healing ability that made doctors obsolete most of the month. She pulled off her bag and shoved everything but the map and class schedule inside. Hopefully, she'd be able to get along just fine with the map, no need to bother anyone by making them into her tour guide. Besides, the classrooms she needed to go to were circled with recommended paths drawn. It was a good plan.

Or it would have been if it wasn't raining when Bella walked outside. With no umbrella and no way of getting to her first class without the map, Bella had to use it as she walked. Fat raindrops blurred the neat paths and weakened the paper. It was all but useless when she finally stepped into her first class of the day.

English. Bella loved English, books had been what got her through many long days in the hospital and the even longer days afterward. She just hoped her teacher held a similar passion.

There were only two people in the room when Bella entered. A tall, balding man, who she assumed was Mr. Mason, and a small, pixie-like girl with black hair. Both looked up at her arrival.

"Ah, you must be Ms. Swan,"

"Yes, sir,"

"Good, glad to see you made it to class on time, slip?" He held out his hand and Bella pulled off her bag, grabbing the paper and spilling her notebooks on the ground. Bella winced and Red growled as Mr. Mason chuckled. Kneeling, Bella began to grab her stuff only to find half of it already in a neat pile, courtesy of the other person in the room.

"Thanks," Bella said taking the stack as it was handed to her.

"You're welcome, I'm Alice,"

"Bella," she smiled faintly at Alice, hiding a wince as Red forced themself against her consciousness inspecting this new person. Red growled.

_Strange smell, threat? Don't know. Careful._ Their thoughts made Bella rock back on her heels, unsure of why Red was having such a negative reaction to Alice. But if they didn't like her, then Bella would try to stay away from her.

"Since you two now know each other I hope you won't mind if Alice is your tour guide for the day," Mr. Mason said, eyeing the ruined map falling apart in Bella's hands.

"I'd be glad to help," Alice said smiling brightly at Mr. Mason. "There is an empty seat next to me if you'd like?"

"Sure, thanks," Bella picked up her bag as Alice started up a conversation about the school. Bella sat next to Alice, smiling at the girl and nodding when she had too but not paying full attention to her talk about the teachers. Hunger gnawed at her stomach, the sound of pulsing hearts increasing as more students filed in through the door, Red's curiosity at everything making them forget to lessen their hearing.

General conversation increased in the room even as Alice's voice faded away. Bella looked over at the pixie girl noticing how she seemed to grow colder and more closed off. Guess beauty didn't equate to popularity in this situation. She seemed like a nice girl, someone Bella could befriend at some point, but maybe whatever had made Red hostile toward her kept others away as well. Bella shrugged, the social lives of strangers really wasn't her concern and when the teacher called the class to order Bella allowed the issue to be pushed from her mind entirely.

Class dragged on without incident. Mr. Mason left her alone for the most part, though she caught his pitying glances whenever he turned her way. Bella was happy when the bell rang and she could escape the looks, even knowing it would continue on no matter where she went that day. Alice was next to her, talking about her opinion of the book they were discussing in class and Bella tried to focus on the conversation. She was glad Red was staying quiet about the pixie, talking with Alice helped her stay distracted from the hunger in her stomach and the gossip-hungry stares.

_Could eat them, won't stare then._  Red rumbled and she could feel their presence trying to comfort her.

_No_. Bella firmly replied, but not pushing away the comfort. Red grumbled but dropped the suggestion.

Alice and Bella rounded a corner and Bella saw Alice light up. She skipped to the side of a tall, lanky, blond guy who swooped down to kiss her cheek as soon as she came to a stop.

_Danger_. Red barked hackles rising as Bella approached the pair. Bella sighed.

_Can you not think the only people being nice to me are dangerous?_

_But they are. Don't like. Smell wrong, smell bad_. Red insisted and Bella ignored them smiling instead as Alice introduced the man as Jasper, her boyfriend. They would be taking Government together and surprise, surprise the only seats available were the ones near Jasper.

"We're learnin 'bout the Judicial Branch right now," Jasper said, Alice already leaving them to walk into class.

"Cool," Bella replied, not sure how to respond. The poor boy seemed stressed, maybe he wasn't good at Government? Bella could relate to stressed more than Alice's bubbliness. Granted her stress was from trying to control her ravenous hunger for human flesh and his was probably about school, but stress is stress.

Jasper sat next to the window in the back row. Seeing the benefits of sitting further back, Bella sat in the seat next to him. Now the nosey students would have to turn all the way around to see her. Bella sunk into her chair, reigning in some of her emotions before they worked up Red. It was easier than she expected, calming her ever-present nerves. Even Red chilled out enough to not bother her as she waited for class to start. The two of them were some of the first people in the room and as they sat there in silence Bella noticed Jasper seemed to relax. He bit his lip and tilted his head, turning to her and opening his mouth.

"We have a partnered project bein assigned today. I know Alice is showin you 'round the school so uh if you want I can work with you on this. If you want?" He ran his hand through his hair and his lips pulled up in what seemed like a grin, but the whole thing was too awkward for Bella to be sure. Like with Alice, beauty did not seem to give him any sort of head start in conversation skills and from the desks, it didn't help in the social sphere either. Bella agreed, glad she wouldn't have to be randomly assigned someone who would probably ask questions she didn't want to answer for the sake of gossip. Red might not like Alice and Jasper, but Bella was relieved they didn't seem to care or know, about the rumors no doubt surrounding her. For her, it was enough to override the previous decision to try and stay away from them. The huff of defeat was all Red gave her in response.

_I'll keep our social lives free of danger, you can take care of physical danger when it legit presents itself._  Bella added in the last part when Red flashed an image of them baring their teeth at Alice and Jasper, both looking far more threatening than they did in real life. Sometimes having an overdramatic dog in your head wasn't fun. Shivering at the sight Bella pushed the images away once again and felt calm wash over her, letting her ignore Red's frustration. They didn't talk much during class. Jasper took care of making them partners, raising his hand when the teacher asked for pairings. From the whispered reaction of the rest of the class, Bella got a distinct impression that Jasper did not usually request partners. Who knew, maybe Alice had suggested it.

The bell rang once again and Bella walked out of the room with Jasper tailing a step behind her, the last two people to exit. Alice was there, waiting outside the class beaming at them. She kissed Jasper on the cheek and whispered something in his ear that Bella couldn't hear.

"See ya later darling, Bella," Jasper said smiling for real as he nodded to them both, his southern accent becoming more pronounced now that he didn't seem anxious. He left, heading in the opposite direction Alice was leading Bella. She asked the usual questions, like if Bella had enjoyed the class and if Jasper had been nice, both of which Bella answered positively too. Alice clapped when Bella said the two of them were paired for the project. Continuing to talk as they made their way toward Trig, Bella fell silent. The hunger she always felt was back with a vengeance, but she couldn't figure out why it hadn't been bothering her during Government. Red whined at the feeling, not having realized the lack of it either. Unfortunately, they didn't have long to dwell on the issue as Alice had stopped in front of another door.

"I don't know anyone in this class, but I'll be waiting when you get out," she rubbed the back of her neck but Bella just shrugged it off.

"You can't know everyone right?"

"Right," Alice laughed, waving and skipping away. Bella entered the room, mood souring almost instantly. The only seats available were the one's front and center. People whispered as she walked in and sat at the empty desk closest to the door. Look at her. Look at the Police Chief's daughter. Look at the girl who had almost died in an animal attack. Bella wished she could push out the voices of her classmates, she thanked Red when her hearing faded and blocked out some of the noise but the eyes were still there. She just wanted to get this class over with.

"Hey, you're Isabella, right? Isabella Swan?" The guy sitting next to her asked. He had spiky blond hair and a big smile.

"Bella, and you are...?"

"I'm Mike, Mike Newton," he said like that should mean anything to her. Bella nodded not sure what else to say. Luckily, Red was behaving. So not everyone in the town of Forks, Washington was a threat. It did make her wonder what was up with Alice and Jasper.

"So uh, how are you liking Forks?" Mike asked.

"It's wet and cold and I don't really like either."

"Oh, well-" Luckily he was cut off by the teacher calling the class to order. Unluckily, the teacher called Bella up to the front of the classroom to introduce herself. As if the subject wasn't bad enough the teacher also sucked. Class could not end soon enough.

If Bella had disliked trig at the beginning of class, she hated it now. All the kids stared at her and there was no one who even tried to be subtle about it. The teacher kept calling on people he thought would get the wrong answer, including Bella. Red was on edge which fed Bella's anxiety which only further fed Red's and it was just an awful vicious cycle. One of the first people out of her seat when the bell rang, Bella rushed out into the hallway, ignoring Mike who was trying to catch up with her. Alice wasn't there yet and Bella figured she should wait but really how hard could it be to find a class by herself? She had the room number. And even getting lost seemed like a better alternative than waiting around for people to descend on her.

Or at least that was what she had thought. Really it was the fault of the architect who built this high school because nothing should be this hard to navigate. And getting lost really was pretty awful. Showing up late to class the first day set a bad precedent, yet asking for directions put her at the mercy of someone's questions. Why hadn't she just waited for Alice? The halls were clearing out and class was about to start soon and Bella felt her stress levels racquet up. She took a deep breath, preparing herself to ask one of the few remaining people for directions when Red's hackles went up again.

"You're Bella right?" A loud voice asked. Bella turned around to see an absolute bear of a man standing there arms crossed and big ol' grin on his face.

"Uh yeah," Red was making the same comments he had made for both Jasper and Alice, though for this guy Bella could see the reason behind some of their rantings. The guy looked like he could break a person in two without even trying.

"I'm Emmett. My sister, Alice, didn't know where you were so she sent me. Cause, you know, I can see over people's heads." Emmett chuckled at his own joke that Bella didn't really understand she was just happy someone could help her get to class now.

"That's really nice of her, and you. I'm, well lost, but-" Bella trailed off realizing she was rambling and Emmett didn't seem at all fazed by what she was saying.

"Figured, I mean you're on the wrong side of campus for Spanish class, but have no fear for I can show you the way." He placed his hands on his hips and looked off dramatically. Bella could just imagine him in a Superman costume, laughing at the image.

"But won't you be late to class?"

"Nah, I'm in your Spanish class. That's actually the reason Alice sent me, don't tell her I called her short." Bella couldn't help chuckling at his antics which seemed to be the point as his smile only widened while the started down the hall. Emmett was funny, and really nice despite Red not liking him. They walked outside into the cool mist, chatting about their days so far and how she liked living in Forks. Bella was honest, though she downplayed how awful her trig class had been and how much she disliked the town. Emmett, for his part, was really easy going, keeping the conversation up even when Bella wasn't entirely sure what to say.

"If you don't like Forks, then why'd you even move here?" Emmett said, frowning and looking at her. Bella wanted to freeze but kept walking, ice moving through her veins.

"Hey, if you don't want to talk about it, I'm sorry for askin," Emmet said holding his hands up in a surrendering motion, worry etched on his pale face.

"No, its just that- eek!" Bella yelped as she tripped, her mind too preoccupied to watch where she was going. The ground came up far to fast. She threw out her hand and felt the hot sting as it connected and slid on the pavement. Damn. Red was pacing and whining, apologizing for not steadying them. Emmett was standing a few feet back, also apologizing and asking if she was alright.

"I'm fine, just a little scrape," Bella said sitting up and looking at her left palm, now covered in cuts oozing blood. At one point in her life seeing blood, even her own, would have made her woozy. Now though she had seen far too much for it to bother her at all. She was just disappointed it had happened. The shadow Emmett cast shrank as he kneeled down closer than before, his brows scrunched up as he looked at her palm. Bella couldn't even begin to imagine what interested him, too focused on calming Red who had started growling again.

"You should go to the nurse,"

"Really, I'm fine,"

"Sure, but you don't want that to get infected. Carlisle'd get mad at me if I didn't take you to the nurse," Emmett said reaching out a hand to help her up. Bella took the offered, freezing cold hand, barely suppressing a shiver. As soon as she was up Emmett had his hand out of hers, shoving them into his pockets and looking around warily.

"Come on this way," Emmett started walking off again, quieter this time. Bella had to nearly run to catch up with him, and she would have had to continue running to keep up with his pace if Red didn't offer her some help in the speed department. The quiet was strange now, knowing how talkative Emmett could be just from their short time together. Maybe he just felt bad about her tripping and his question. Well, he had carried the conversation up to that point, it couldn't be that hard for her to repay the favor, and really he didn't seem like the type to gossip.

"Some bad stuff happened to me in Phoenix, so I needed to get away from those memories," Bella said not looking up at him. Emmett stayed silent, to the point where Bella almost regretted saying anything at all.

"Some rough stuff happen to me too," Emmett said and he seemed sad. Wow, way to go, not only had she dampened the mood with her own sob backstory but she unlocked part of Emmett's as well.

"But, that's also why I'm with Carlisle now and I miss my old life, but I have now is all I coulda hoped for. Maybe that'll happen for you here in Forks," Emmett smiled down at her and this time it wasn't a goofy one, but more sincere. She could see it in his eyes. Who expected such a bonding moment to happen on her first day. No matter what Red said, Bella liked Emmett, and Alice and Jasper and to be fair she'd probably like all the others people of their little family too.

Before she knew it, they were walking back into a building that smelled distinctly of antiseptic.

"Shouldn't you two be in class?" An old lady was looking at them over her glasses.

"I tripped on my way to class, Emmett showed me how to get here," Bella showed the lady her still scratched up hand, happy that Red hadn't already healed the wound. She looked back at Emmett to see him standing awkwardly by the door, looking toward the beds. Following his gaze, Bella saw a boy laying down, a thick bandage on his leg. She could smell the blood seeping into the gauze, his heartbeat still erratic from his wound. Her stomach growled.

"You can go to class now," the nurse told Emmett as she bustled around the room. He looked relieved, sending Bella a quick smile before ducking out of the room. The boy seemed just as anxious as Jasper and Alice had around people. If this trend kept up then the whole family would just be socially awkward, academically stressed teens. What a friend group.

_Don't want them as friends._

_Who'd you rather have, them? Or people that'll make us cry?_

_No cry._

_Then you're dealing with the Cullen's._  Red grumbled at that but said nothing else as the nurse cleaned the cuts and wrapped her palm in some gauze.

"You're good to go," she said, mumbling about students not going to class as she went to check on the other kid. Bella was more than happy to skedaddle before his blood was really exposed. Walking out of the office, Bella looked around, not sure if Emmett had left or where she was.

"Bella!" A voice called. She whipped around to see Alice skipping toward her and felt relief at not having to find her own way.

"Hey, Alice,"

"Heard you didn't make it to Spanish class, hand alright?" She asked already leading Bella somewhere else. Lunch? Yeah, she was pretty sure lunch was next.

"Just a scrape, where's Emmett?"

"Oh he and Rose always meet up before lunch, he texted me where you were."

_Whole family paired off?_

_Guess so, Carlisle must be some sorta matchmaker. That's nice, I think?_

Alice seemed to frown but Bella didn't pry as she thought through whatever it was she was thinking about.

"Only introducing you to my family may not have been the best idea, we don't have any more room at our table," Alice looked sheepishly up at Bella. Well, that was unfortunate. Now she was going to have to sit with the annoying people. Fantastic.

"That's fine, I can sit somewhere else. Don't worry about it," Bella assured her. They were somehow already near the cafeteria and Bella started looking around for anywhere she could possibly sit. It wasn't even like she really needed to eat here, or that she could if she wanted too. With the full moon only a few days away, Red rarely let her eat human food, no matter how hungry she was.

They hoped into line, neither really talking. Bella noticed Alice freeze, not paying attention to the world around them at all, even though the lie was moving. Knowing how it was to become truly lost in your thoughts, Bella grabbed Alice's jacket sleeve and gently pulled her forward. Alice definitely didn't have a wolf in her head to distract her but that didn't mean she didn't have pressing issues. Mental health could take many forms and cause many different symptoms and Bella certainly wasn't going to be the one to judge her on that. If the weird stares Alice was getting were any indication, the rest of the student body judged her and her family enough already.

Alice shook herself out of her stupor before they got to the counter, which was good because Bella really didn't know what she liked to eat, nor was she coordinated enough to balance two trays and drag her along. She didn't mention the situation, just shooting her weird looks that Bella really didn't know how to interpret. Honestly, Bella wasn't paying as much attention to her and her newfound weirdness. No, most of her attention was on the food line and how utterly sick looking at all of it made her. The lady scooped a corn dog and some corn onto her tray, passing it back just as quickly as she had taken it. Bella paid the cashier as her stomach did flips and the nervous butterflies on where she was supposed to sit only added to the nausea. This really wasn't worth the effort she would have to put into finding other people.

"Hey, are you alright?" Alice asked.

"Yeah, I'm just not feeling very good, tell Emmett thanks for walking me to the nurse," Bella said beelining toward the trash can and then immediately out the door, ignoring all the stares, including those of the Cullen's. She didn't stop until she reached her beat up old truck, jumping in and locking the doors. The wheel was cool against her forehead and the air was crisp, the scent of humans lessened which helped soothe some of her hunger pains.

_Food._

"Yeah," Bella breathed, starting up the truck.


	3. The New Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edward really didn't want to go to school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Thank you all so much for your support so far! It makes me super happy! I'm now passed where I left off in my original draft from so many years ago, so all new ideas ahead!

If anyone were to ask, he would just say it wasn't necessary for him to be in school that day. And they would ask, so his alibi had to be better than that or Esme would ground him. So he didn't need to be in school because the new girl left. Oh who was he kidding, Esme would ground him no matter what.

Edward sighed and made his way further into the woods, school disappearing from sight. There was nothing to do. He hadn't even wanted to go to school in the first place, but Esme had made him after Alice threw him under the bus. Something about him needing to be there to read some new girl's thoughts. Really he didn't care. All humans thought the same dumb things about them. Oh, they're so pretty, oh I love them, oh wow they are all really rude. Well sorry, Karen that if we get to know you there is a heightened chance of death. Edward really didn't like it when new people showed up.

Which was why he was glad Bella had left early. As soon as Alice had sat down and told him Bella wasn't going to class with him, Edward had made a hasty retreat, leaving the room before his siblings could come and convince him to stay. Alice had only frowned at him and he got that often enough that it didn't bother him.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts of the day's events, focusing back on the trees zipping past him. As long as he was out here, he might as well hunt. An older doe was easy enough to find. Not wanting to upset Esme even more, Edward made sure to be careful and not get his shirt torn by flailing hooves. He was mostly successful. Polishing off the meal, Edward needed somewhere else to go because he certainly wasn't going home until school was over. Only one place came to mind.

The meadow was always a beautiful place in Edward's opinion. Even in the cold months when all the flowers died, there was something serene about the area, something he couldn't quite explain drawing him back there. Most importantly it was always empty, giving him a place devoid of outside thoughts where he could go for true solitude.

Or at least that usually was the case. Edward stopped short at the edge of the meadow, smiling at the sight. The wolf from the day before was there, rolling and playing in the frozen flower grass. It barked and ran, chasing the few stray butterflies and insects it kicked up, looking to all the world like an overgrown puppy. Any tension from the day seemed to melt away as he watched it.

Slowly, Edward moved into the meadow, wanting to get closer. The wolf spun around and froze when it saw him, immediately going on the defensive. What a brave wolf. Even predators usually turned tail when he approached. He didn't want the creature to fear him though, despite the thought being utterly insane, he wanted it to trust him. Edward remembered how soft its fur was. The wolf wagged its tail even as it continued to growl at him. Sitting down was a slow affair, Edward refused to move too fast and spook it.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Edward said extending one hand and watching in excitement as the wolf crept toward him. It pressed its nose into his palm, licking his hand and wagging its tail harder. Laughter bubbled up in his throat, the wolf looking up at the sound, its own tension seeming to melt away as well. The wolf lay down, burying its nose back into Edward's palm and licking his hand as if it was a delicious treat.

"You're very trusting," Edward said and the wolf pulled back giving him a look that was far too human in nature.

"Sorry," the wolf huffed and pawed its way closer, nuzzling his other hand and giving it a lick as well. Apparently, both Edward's hands tasted just as good, though Edward was at an absolute loss as to how. Maybe there was still some deer scent on his hands that it liked. Carefully, remembering it had spooked the wolf the night before, Edward raised one hand and reached for its head, placing his hand between its ears. The wolf froze at the feeling. Edward ran his long fingers through its fur. The wolf all but purred. Pleased with the turn of events Edward continued to pet it, running his hand down its neck and back as it moved to curl up around him. Edward felt warm.

They stayed like that for who knows how long. The wolf fell asleep, it's large head resting on Edward's knee. He felt at peace, something he hadn't felt for a long time. If he had his way, Edward would never leave this place, never change a thing about this moment. Of course, that couldn't happen. The sun was making its way toward the horizon and Edward knew someone would come looking for him if he didn't return soon. He didn't want anyone else in his family to meet this trusting wolf. He didn't want any of them to hurt it. Gently he moved the wolf's head to the ground, giving it a final pat.

The woods were cold in its absence and Edward had to make himself keep running, to not turn back. A lone howl broke the still air. He would come back. No matter what he would come back.

_Nice of you to join us,_ Alice thought as Edward approached the house. He slowed and walked in through the front door, not really wanting to take part in this whole family meeting. The others welcomed him back in their own ways. He made his way to the dining room, a place they never used for its intended purpose. Props were essential though, according to Carlisle and Esme. Edward really didn't see the point, humans didn't come around enough for it to matter.

Quickly he scanned the thoughts of his family, trying to get a better feel for how this conversation would go.

_Should ask Alice when the new game is coming out._  Well, Emmett was of no use, despite having a class with the girl.

_I wonder what this could be about? Alice only said it was necessary._ Ah so Alice had refused to tell even their parents, well at least he knew the general topic. This new girl.

_We could do McCulloch vs. Maryland- no everyone is going to do that one. Should ask her..._ Jasper's thoughts trailed off thinking about how he would approach the conversation with the new girl tomorrow. He seemed excited? About talking with a human. Guess something was strange about her.

"Now that we are all here, Alice? What do you want to say?" Carlisle said as Edward slid into place next to him at the oval table. Alice was sitting next to Esme on Carlisle's other side, Jasper leaning against the wall behind her. Emmett and Rosalie filled in next to Alice, who was just smiling and keeping her thoughts shrouded by singing pop songs on repeat.

"I had a vision today about Bella, she was with our family. We're the best of friends," Alice said wistfully.

"She's human Alice," Rosalie said and Edward nodded, for once agreeing with Rose.

"I hadn't noticed, doesn't change what I saw though," Alice's tone took on a slightly sharper edge. Jasper shifted ever so slightly forward, his own thoughts focusing on the conversation more even as he glared at Rosalie. Alice shrugged of her irritation and smiled again.

"And what did you see Alice?" Carlisle asked, his own mind running through different ideas.

"Her and Edward, I couldn't make out much else. The whole thing was fuzzy, like it hasn't been decided on. But you two, you were very clear." Alice stopped her mental singing, letting Edward see the vision she had received. The edges blurred and shifted but without a doubt, he was laying in his meadow, Bella next to him and they stared at each other the same way all the other couples in the room looked at their partners. No. That couldn't be real. She's a human.

"Are you saying he falls for a human? How stupid can you be?" Rosalie yelled, her hands curling into fists.

"I haven't even met her yet, don't blame me,"

"Rose! Don't be mean to your brother," Esme admonished. Rosalie leaned back in her chair with a huff.

"Besides I don't know if she really is human," Jasper added grinning a little and thinking about class that day.

"I agree with Jazz, her blood sure don't smell like a human's."

"Went a whole class without wanting to kill someone, it was nice." Jasper nodded at Emmett both of them going over their interactions with Bella.

"Her blood?" Edward hissed, seeing how Bella had tripped and fallen, something Emmett could have prevented if he hadn't been preoccupied thinking about some mess up.

"Yeah, she scratched up her palms, thought it was gonna be real hard but it didn't really smell like blood so all was good," Emmett explained to the table at large.

_Relax Eddie, I didn't hurt your girlfriend._  Edward really wanted to point out that his inaction had caused her to be hurt. But that would mean he ignored the Eddie comment and gave more weight to the utterly absurd idea that he would like Bella Swan. There was no way he would fall for her and put his family in danger like that. Especially not if there was some supernatural stuff going on with her, which he highly doubted. Maybe she just ate something weird. Edward didn't want to think about how he had never run into a human who smelled that differently just because of what they ate.

"Even so, we are lucky she wasn't injured further. I'm glad you kept yourself together during that incident," Carlisle said. His mind flashed to several other times when Emmett had been a little too...theatrical for a situation and made it worse than it needed to be. Emmett's mind did not go to those situations, simply happy for Carlisle's approval.

"If she's not human then what is she?" Rosalie asked. Emmett and Jasper froze, both of their minds going blank and Edward sighed realizing they hadn't put much thought into that particular issue.

_Did you get the chance to read her mind?_  Carlisle asked, looking up at Edward.

"No, she left before we had a class together,"

"She got sick while in the lunch line and skipped the rest of the day," Alice explained to Carlisle and Esme, who nodded. Esme's thoughts immediately turned to hoping Bella was feeling better now, while Carlisle flew through everything he knew on different supernatural creatures. The ideas he came up with were far too scattered to come to a real conclusion. What information they had wasn't enough. Edward sighed. He'd get to dig for information like usual.

_At least you'll get to meet your girl._  Jasper was far too smug in his thoughts and Edward felt no guilt at sending him a wave of anger.

"We cannot decide how to interact with this girl without more information."  _I'd like to meet her so I could make my own judgments._

"Jasper and her are doing a group project, maybe he can invite her over?" Edward didn't know what possessed him to say such a thing.

"Yes! It'll be perfect!" Alice beamed. Jasper was also happy, and while Rosalie wasn't a fan, Jasper's enthusiasm brought everyone around to the idea.

"Can you do that?"

"I can manage that."

"Good, then this meeting is adjourned till more is known about all aspects of this argument." Carlisle looked at Edward and he knew his father didn't just mean if Bella was human or not. Several of the others congratulated Edward on finding someone. Peeved at the idea, Edward stood and left without a word of thanks.

He ran without thinking, but there was only one place he wanted to go. The meadow surrounded him, cold and empty. Slowly, he sat down in the grass, just as he had with the wolf, trying to feel the same sense of calm. But all his mind could focus on was the face from his sibling's memories, the face of Bella Swan.


	4. Invitations and Edward Cullen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red smells a familiar scent at school and wreaks havoc on Bella's emotional state. Especially when they finally meet Edward Cullen, the too-handsome guy Red adores.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I intended to have more in this chapter but then it kinda just ran away from me so I decided to split it up. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter (and what will be chapter 6 and 7) so I hope you enjoy!

_Honey-boy!_  Red barked running happily around Bella's mind.

_Please calm down, it's way too early for this._  Bella said sliding out of her truck. She didn't even bother to look around, exhaustion weighing on her. Red had been far too excited after their brief nap in the meadow, wanting to go running again to see, as they called him, Honey-boy. Bella was about two seconds away from jumping in front of a car just to get them to shut up. It didn't help that now Red thought they smelled Honey-boy. Would this torment never end?

"Hey, Bella!" A familiar wind-chime voice said from behind her. Bella spun around, trying very hard not to look as tired and murderous as she felt. Alice stood there, Jasper right behind her, both smiling, though their expression faltered when they saw her face.

"Are you still sick?"

"No, I just didn't get a lot of sleep." Bella made sure she directed her irritation toward Red, quickly calming down once she did. Thankfully, Red slowed in their movements. Good, they should know she wasn't happy with them. Red forcefully turned their head, focusing on the pair and Bella really hoped they didn't go off on another danger rant.

_Not Honey-boy?_ Red huffed in disappointment. Bella felt a rush of happiness. She wanted to know who this person was but at least she wouldn't have to deal with Red's emotions right now. Not that her own were much better. Gosh did she hate the days leading up to full moons. Focusing back on Alice and Jasper, Bella saw them both still looking at her with concern and she tried really hard to smile and feel more upbeat.

"I didn't either, must have just been one of those nights huh?" Alice said and Bella really did appreciate her trying to find common ground. Even if Alice didn't look anything less than perfect and Bella's own reasons for staying up wildly differed from whatever reasons she might have. Besides sleep wouldn't have helped, she didn't need to sleep much this close to the full moon, it was just Red being a pain making her tired.

"Yeah, just one of those nights," she got credit for trying. Alice's smile widened and she started to walk toward the school, Jasper and Bella falling into step on either side of her. The stares of the students already at school made Bella's skin itch and Red want to growl, but they stayed mellow, just observing everyone with distaste. Except for Jasper and Alice because obviously smelling a bit like Honey-boy was all they needed to be on Red's good side. Bella tried very hard to ignore the urge to lick their hands and see if they also tasted like honey. She would not lose her only friends because of her dumb dog head-mate.

"So Bella, I was wonderin if ye'd like to come over to our house this weekend, work on the project and all that?" Jasper asked, running his hand through his hair.

"Oh please, Bella!" Alice said as if this was some great idea she was only just hearing about. Like they hadn't practiced this whole thing in the car. Bella knew how socially awkward teens worked. These two were no exception. Knowing how it felt to be called out though, Bella humored them. Really she wasn't opposed to the idea.

_Maybe they know Honey-boy? But Friday full-moon._

_Okay, so Sunday, but only if you promise not to be weird._

_Weird? Never._  Bella wanted to roll her eyes, but that might send the wrong message to her human companions. _  
_

"If you're sure it's okay with your parents. But uh, not Saturday, that's a sleep day." Jasper chuckled and Alice nodded, at least someone understood.

"We told them all about you last night and they are totally fine with the idea. Sunday will be perfect for us," Alice said. Oh good, people were talking about her. Lovely.

"Awesome, can't wait," and really she was excited, how could she not be with Red running circles in her head. Bella hoped this honey-boy was patient.

Alice and Bella broke away from Jasper for class, Jasper telling them farewell in his southern drawl. There were a few other students already in their seats when they walked in. Conversation hushed, starting up again with poorly concealed glances their way. Bella sighed and asked Red to keep their hearing down so they didn't have to listen. Next to her, Alice was frowning, staring off into space. Startling, Alice turned to look at her.

"I know I said we didn't have seats at our table, but if you want we can make it work," Alice said, eyeing the people around them. It was a gesture Bella knew was born of some kind of pity, but she had never been one to look a gift horse in the mouth so she thanked Alice with the biggest smile she could muster. At least at lunch, she would only have to deal with the food, not nervous butterflies and anxiety. The thought of food made her stomach ache and growl, Red snorting at the notion. Bella honestly couldn't wait for the full moon to pass simply so she could eat a human meal again, not just meat and the few random foods Red deemed acceptable.

English went the same as the day before, neither of them getting to talk much. Jasper stood outside the class when they got out, smiling and giving Alice a kiss before she went off to her next class.

They walked together, Bella relaxing and ignoring the stares. She listened to Jasper talk about his ideas for their project and interjected her own. The assumption she'd made the day before about Jasper not being all that great at government was thrown in the trash. Bella didn't try to hide how impressed she was with just how much the boy knew about history. He could give Jonathan and Martha a run for their money and they'd actually lived through several of the court cases they were discussing.

Class came too fast and went by just as dull as English had since neither of them were ones to talk during class.

Really her second day was rather uneventful. With Red keeping her from being able to hear all the rumors and Jasper and Alice keeping other people away, Bella didn't have to deal with much stress. Even her hunger died down during Government. Granted it was once again back with a vengeance during Trig, making the class completely awful, but Emmett was waiting for her outside of class. Red lit up when he too smelled similar to Honey-boy.

"Hey Bells, how's your day been? My little sibs keeping it fun?"

"Ha, well they've kept me from being bothered by people."

"Pft that's it? What did they do? Pay attention all class?"

"Uh yeah?" Emmett scoffed at her reply, mumbling something about them needing to lighten up a bit, though Bella didn't think he meant for her to hear.

"Lame, are you any good at Spanish?"

"I mean I I've taken it for a few semesters."

"You'll be fine then," Emmett grinned as they walked into the classroom. He waved at the teacher and several students, before sitting down in a chair and patting the one next to him. Bella's grip on her bag tightened, all eyes on her as she went up to the teacher to have her slip signed and then went to sit next to Emmett. He turned back around from talking to the two people behind them, grinning at her.

_They talk to others?_

_Guess so._

"I take it you know some people?"

"Oh yeah, I'm part of the Spanish club and the Academic team, meet a lot of people that way." Bella blinked, looking Emmett up and down trying to fit this new piece of information into her idea of Emmett and the Cullens as a whole.

In truth it made sense. Sure he looked like he could be a star football player, but at least two of his other siblings had popularity issues and the whole family seemed to be fairly isolated, introverted. Bella knew a lot of nerds who worked out in Phoenix. It was really cool that Emmett was one of those people.

"Huh, that's really neat, is anyone else in your family do clubs?"

"Jazz's in history club and Eddie-boy thought about band but he's weak and backed out. Rosie, of course, is in a woodworking club and she and Alice go to a book one with our mom. We like to stay busy."

"Apparently. No offense but I didn't take you all to be very...uh social?"

"Eddie rubs off on us, unfortunately."

"Señor Cullen, por favor no distraiga a la Sra Swan," the Spanish teacher said. Bella looked up, startled, she hadn't even noticed class starting. Heat rushed to her face. Emmett just smiled and apologized, the teacher shaking his head and continuing on. He winked but didn't bother her for most of the class, only making a few comments here and there.

Bella found Emmett's assurance that she would be fine to be correct. She already knew most of the vocabulary they had covered. During speaking practice, she and Emmett partnered up. He didn't do a half bad job helping her with pronunciation and finding the exact words she wanted to use. The whole class would have been her favorite, if not for the hunger gnawing at her stomach, continuously distracting her.

"Are you into cars?" Emmett asked as they left the room, the class having gone far faster than Bella wanted it to.

"Sorta, I don't know a lot but I think they are pretty cool, especially old trucks."

"Hm, well old trucks aren't her thing but mention you have an interest in cars in general and Rosie'll love you," Emmett smiled and Bella remembered Alice mentioning a Rosalie.

_Paired right?_

_Maybe? We'll have to see._  Bella didn't have to wait for long. Emmett saw her before she did, walking faster to get to her. An angelic, blonde woman turned from her locker at Emmett's call, smiling when he swooped down to give her a kiss on the lips.

"Hey Rosie," Emmett said, pulling back and grinning. He straightened and turned to Bella.

"Bella, Rosalie. Rosalie, Bella," he introduced them, completely ignoring how Rosalie's expression turned frosty.

_Not like? Smell like Honey-boy, thought all liked us? Bad?_

_So far they've liked us. But if she's with someone like Emmett she can't be that bad._

"Hi, I heard you like cars?" Really? That was the best she could come up with? Well, Emmett had said it was a fast track to Rosalie's good books. The side eye she was giving Emmett told Bella she knew exactly where Bella had gotten that info.

"Yes, I do," she said and turned, walking away. Emmett shrugged at Bella and followed his girlfriend, leaving Bella to trail in their wake. Guess the questionable anti-social nature of the family couldn't solely express itself as nice introverts. Some people just needed time to warm up. Red huffed.

Jasper and Alice met them outside the cafeteria. Happy the person who'd invited her to sit with them was here, Bella felt a little better about lunch. Coming up with a valid reason as to why she wasn't eating school food would be rough.

_Is there any way you can find this food appetizing? At all?_

_Not meat. No. Taste bad. Taste wrong._

_Will you eat if it's potatoes?_

_...Maybe._  Bella sighed and prayed to every god she knew there would be something potato based for lunch. It was one of the only food groups Red could stand, outside of fresh meat, of course, this close to the full moon.

Apparently, some god heard her prayer. Moving through the line after Alice and Jasper, Bella smelled the tater tots before she saw them. She handed over her tray, ignoring the weird burger also on her plate that she knew Red would absolutely not touch, and took it back with a sigh of relief.

She paused after paying, still not sure if she really could sit with the Cullens. Alice had offered, but they also didn't have enough room yesterday and did she really want to be such a burden to her new friends? Bella was pulled from her thoughts by Jasper.

"You comin?" he asked. Well, at least she had two of the Cullens wanting her to sit with them. That counted for something.

"Course," Bella said and turned toward the table Emmett and Rosalie were already sitting at. Another person already sat there. Bella locked every muscle in her body as Red saw who it was.

_Honey-boy!_  Even with all her strength keeping Red from moving them entirely too quickly across the room, Bella still rocked forward as if someone had knocked into her from behind.

_Behave!_ She ordered, shoving Red away from her consciousness.

"Hey, hey, you alright?" Jasper asked. Bella took a deep breath and opened her eyes, not having realized she closed them. Red still pushed against her, urging her to move forward to go to the boy from the woods. Un-clenching her jaw, Bella nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine, sorry," Bella took a measured step forward, not trusting Red in the slightest. She knew the looks she was getting, how this would be spun into something bigger, how it would label her as even more of a freak. Dumb dog.

Jasper looked at her with piercing eyes that felt like they stared into her soul. At her assurance, he nodded and Bella felt relief calming her nerves. Maybe they'd end up her only friends but at least Jasper didn't seem to judge her.

He led her toward the table, Alice already seated and staring at her with concern. Bella really hoped she didn't ask questions, or any of them to be honest. What would she even say?

Sorry bout that, the dog living in her head thinks their brother, who she's never actually met, is really cool and tastes like honey. Had to stop them from making her dash across an entire lunchroom so fast she would go a bit blurry.

Because that would go so well.

Jasper sat down first and Bella wanted to groan at her absolutely rotten luck. He gestured to the only open seat at the table, the one between him and honey-boy. If she had had anywhere else to sit, Bella would have turned around and left them, dealing with the consequences of that decision at a later date. Red practically vibrated with excitement.

_If you make us so much as look at him wrong, we will be on bad speaking terms, do you understand?_

_But-_  Bella sent a wave of irritation and annoyance toward Red. Grumbling, Red turned away to go sulk. Bella knew they would not stay down for long.

"Hi, I'm Bella," she said to the new boy she, unfortunately, kept calling honey-boy. It would either be a miracle or a very quiet lunch if she did not end up calling him that accidentally.

"Edward, I've heard a lot of...nice things about you," honey-no, Edward said. He paused on the word nice, as if trying to come up with the right word. Bella couldn't blame him. Nothing Alice or Jasper or Emmett could have told him would make up for the behavior she had already shown toward him. Why was Red so dumb?

Red merely wagged their tail, repeating Edward's name over and over while comparing it to their nickname for him. This was somehow worse than the week Red had once fixated on nothing but Britney Spears's "Toxic". It hadn't even been five minutes.

Bella ignored the knowledge that she really should keep the conversation going with Edward. Ensure he didn't think she hated him. Red had gotten over their mood far too quickly.

Instead, Bella focused on the food in front of her. Tater Tots. Potatoes. Okay, she could do this.

_Please eat this Red._

_Not hungry._  Bella readied herself to argue when she paused. Red was right. The familiar ache in their stomach that had been mysteriously disappearing was gone once again. Could this situation get any stranger? She really needed to figure out what exactly was causing her lack of hunger and thank it profusely.

_If you're not hungry, then I'm eating whatever I want._  Red huffed. They had more important things to figure out, like their warring emotions. Exhaustion had crept back in with a wave of calm, clashing terribly with Red's excitement and frustration and Bella's own irritation and mortification. Really no one person should ever be subjected to so many emotions at once. Bella's head threatened to start spinning if something didn't give way soon.

"Have you enjoyed your day, Bella?" Alice asked and Bella relished the opportunity to focus on anything else.

"It's actually been really fun, except for trig of course," Bella said, picking up a tater tot and tossing it in her mouth.

"Mr. Varner likes to pick on people," Edward said and dang if his voice wasn't just as smooth as honey. Did he really have to talk to her? All Bella could do was make sure her head turned at a normal human speed, Red demanding to see Honey-boy. Taking the moment chewing the tot gave her to compose an acceptable answer.

"Yeah," good one Bella, a real winner of an answer. Bella could have stayed like she was forever, just looking at Edward's unfortunately highly attractive face and rather beautiful dark tawny eyes. Was that a real eye color? Who knew, she certainly didn't, nor did she care because dang did he look good. Red's smugness pulled Bella away from her observation. She would not give Red the satisfaction.

She turned away from Edward, grinding her teeth against Red stubbornly trying to make her look at him again. No. She would not.

Jasper met her eyes, looking a little woozy. Same Jasper, same. Bella could feel how awkward this whole situation was and regret quickly added itself to her potluck of emotions. Her's and Red's mood swings were causing all sorts of issues, why'd she ever think this was a good idea?

"So Bells, have any fun plans for the weekend?" Emmett asked, breaking the silence.

"Sleeping? I guess I'm going to your house on Sunday," with how she was acting, Bella wouldn't be surprised if they wanted to renege on their invitation.

"Of course you're coming to our house, Sunday, I'm already planning what we'll do!" Alice said, lightly clapping her hands.

"I thought Jasper and I were just going to work on our project."

"Of course, are you allergic to any foods?"

_Fruits, vegetables, not potato, fakeness,_  Red supplied as Bella popped another tater tot in her mouth, shaking her head.

_Two days after the full moon, I get to eat what I want._  No way would Bella let Red dictate her food all month long, sometimes a girl needed food other than freshly killed meat.

"Good to know, we don't have a formal lunch at our house but since you're coming in the morning we'll have food for you to eat," Alice smiled and Bella thanked her. At least now she knew when they were expecting her on Sunday.

"Play any video games?" Emmett asked startling Bella.

"You bet I do," Jonathan and Martha might as well have had "videogamer" as their middle names. The pair might be old but they always appreciated a good game.

"Oooh, we might have to test that," Emmett laughed.

"We'll definitely work on our project first though," Jasper said, giving Emmett a look Bella didn't fully understand. Emmett just waved him off.

"Yeah, yeah of course, hey maybe Eddie can show off his piano skills," Emmett grinned, completely ignoring the groans and eye-rolls his comment earned. Bella wouldn't have noticed them either if she wasn't so pointedly not paying attention to Edward. It's just her luck that the really handsome guy she was being weird around also played such an attractive instrument.

"Don't call me Eddie," Edward hissed, voice so low Bella would have missed it if Red had reduced her hearing to a normal human level. Emmett continued to smile, staring at Edward. A low growl from Edward had Emmett smirking, though there was no way Emmett actually heard the sound. Well, at least Mr. Pretty, Perfect, Honey-boy was a little weird.

Light chatter among the people at the table started up, leaving Bella to eat her tater tots in relative peace. She occasionally was pulled in with a question, but released soon after. Throughout the entirety of lunch, Bella forced herself to not look at Edward, fighting against Red's desires and the weird feeling trying to relax her muscles. She would not fall for some trap of Red's by relaxing, they would not get the opportunity to control her motions.

Bella finished her permitted food only half-way through lunch and while her lack of wolfish hunger made the burger almost seem appetizing she didn't want to risk it. More tater tots appeared on her plate, Jasper giving her his own. He had a lot more than Bella had been given.

"I'm not a big fan," he explained. More for her then. However, it did not slip past her that all the other food on Jasper's tray was nearly untouched. Picky eater maybe? Looking around, Bella saw that most of them had not eaten much of their food either. Weird, but they all did have killer physiques and that did not come without some sort of hardcore food control. Bella hoped their parents weren't the type to control their diet to a harsh degree.

Bella felt the eyes on her, mostly from honey-boy-Edward, the feeling stirring strange emotions in her that certainly did not need to be added to the hodgepodge already going on inside her head. She'd examine those later, much later, maybe after the full moon, maybe never. They didn't seem like particularly fun emotions to sort out.

Lunch graciously came to an end as Bella polished off the last tater tot. All she had left was biology and gym, then she could go home and give a stern talking to Red without witnesses to her madness.

"Bella," Edward said, speaking to her for the first time since the beginning of lunch. Taking a deep breath she turned to him.

"Yes."

"I don't know if Alice told you but we have Biology together next period. The only spare seat is next to me, I hope you don't mind?" Of course, he would be worried she wouldn't want to sit next to him. He must really think she hated him, and in a way Bella did. Her muscles were going to be extremely sore tomorrow if she had to keep Red in check for another whole class period.

"Not at all," if his slight frown was any indication, Bella did not do a good enough job keeping the disappointment out of her tone. All her new friends would leave her because Red didn't know how to act normal. Red growled and Bella threw her irritation right back at him.


	5. The Girl Named Bella

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edward's thoughts during lunch and biology. Plus another fun family meeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Thank you all for your support so far! Y'all are really amazing! The end of this feels a little rushed but I really wanted to get it done. Next chapter is the full moon and y'all really get to see what Red can do then.

_You’ll get to lunch first. Grab an extra chair, Bella is sitting with us!_ Edward stared at the text message from Alice. She really did that to him didn’t she. Watch, at lunch she’d have them sit next to each other and Edward would be subjected to at least three, if not all four, of his siblings commenting on how cute of a couple they’d make. This would be on top of the thoughts Bella would no doubt have. Supernatural or not, and Edward was not convinced she was supernatural, everyone had the same reaction to them. Edward could hear the fawning already.

Or maybe the voices belonged to the students currently in English with him. The lecture today bored many of them, giving time for their minds to wander into daydream land. Edward shivered and tried to block out some of the mental images and thoughts.

He didn’t respond to Alice, she already knew he would heed her request. No doubt she’d already asked Bella and despite Edward being upset with his siblings over the whole situation, she was innocent. For now at least.

English could not end soon enough. At the bell, Edward already had his bag packed and was out the door, shaking himself to get rid of the numerous fantasies he’d just been exposed too. He walked swiftly through the halls and to the cafeteria, no need to wait for any of his siblings if Alice had said he’d be the first there. They’d probably be bringing Bella. Edwards sighed at the reminder.

Moving through the short lunch line was robotic, he didn’t even register what was on his tray. Even if he had to pretend to eat something because Bella sat with them, it wouldn’t change that it all tasted like dirt.

He grabbed a chair from the next table over, shoving it between the two seats furthest from his usual place. Sitting down, Edward waited for his siblings and the oh so wonderful Bella Swan to appear. He could hear their minds but didn’t care enough to listen, nothing they were thinking was important.

More and more students filed into the room. He could hear the jealous thoughts of many and see Bella walking with Emmett and Rosalie down the halls in their minds. Boys and girls alike didn’t take the attention his family bestowed upon Bella very well, nor were many fond that his family was keeping her from talking to them. Bella made for hot gossip, police chief’s daughter finally coming home, only a year after a vicious animal attack that had sent the chief running to Arizona. Edward already knew all of this, he had been there when the news spread like wildfire through Forks.

The idea of people only wanting to befriend her for that hot gossip irritated Edward. It was rude and insensitive and she deserved better friends who wouldn’t do such a thing. The only person who fit that description though was his own family and Angela. Edward sighed and rubbed his face. Why did he even care about this?

Familiar footsteps made him look up and cease his restless mind. Emmett and Rosalie entered the room first, hand in hand, Jasper and Alice trailing close. Behind them walked Bella. He’d seen her yesterday, a fleeting look as she all but ran out of the cafeteria looking faintly ill.

His mind pulled up the image Alice showed him last night, the two of them lying in the meadow, the rest of the world swirling around but never touching them. He pushed it away. Alice had no proof they’d be together, her visions always subject to change. Still, he couldn’t help the tiny spark of hope he’d held all night, no matter how impossible it was.

Rosalie and Emmett sat down with him, Alice halfway to the table and Jasper waiting next to the cashier for Bella.

Edward took in a deep breath, working from the memories of his siblings to try and distinguish Bella’s scent from the rest of the humans. It wasn’t as hard as he imagined it to be and the result was far stranger than he expected. He had a rough idea but that couldn’t compare to reality. Blood flowed through her veins, faintly, very faintly he could smell it. More prominently though was a place, one he’d remember a thousand years from now. The meadow. How she smelled so much like the familiar freesia's and the wild woods he did not know, but it put him at ease, made him want her to come closer.

“You comin?” Jasper asked Bella. Edward could feel her mild anxiety through Jasper’s thoughts and his attempt to soothe them. He focused his mind on the space right next to Jasper, the place Bella stood wanting to hear her thoughts on sitting with them. Nothing. Edward looked at the pair, looked at Bella. Something had to be off.

“Course,” she said her voice melodic in a way that made unknown emotions flare up in Edward, but he ignored them. For as she said that word she looked at him for the first time.

Edward had never seen a human tense as quickly as she did. Every muscle in her body locked into place, her heart beat faster, and Jasper nearly took a step back at the mix of emotions radiating from her. For a second Edward thought someone had run into her from behind with the way she rocked forward, but no one was there.

 _What’s up with Bella?_ Emmett thought and many other students mirrored his question.

“Hey, hey, are you alright?” _I don’t know what happened, did anything happen?_ Jasper’s own panic bled into his voice and had to also be affecting other in the room because that was the only reasonable explanation Edward had for why he felt anxious to know her answer. To know she was alright.

“Yeah, I’m fine, sorry,” she blinked and shook her head, taking a cautious step forward, still tense. Edward watched her through Jasper’s eyes, taking in every detail on how untruthful that statement was.

 _Edward, what just happened?_ Alice asked. He could only shake his head, her guess as good as his. Bella’s mind was entirely silent. None of this made sense.

Jasper and Bella walked to the table together, Jasper taking a seat, leaving the only open spot be the one between him and Edward. Of course, his siblings would do this to him, none of them even tried to hide their plan from him.

Bet they were regretting their decision now that Bella seemed completely and irrationally adverse to him. Yeah, they’d really get along well.

 _I’m dealing with enough right now, don’t you start too._ Jasper all but growled and Edward winced, silently apologizing. Times like these made Edward glad he was not the family empath. He would feel the effects of Jasper trying to calm Bella, and thus the situation, down and he could see from Jasper’s thoughts just how erratic her emotions were. Multiple people arguing had a less varied emotional state. No one human should ever feel so much.

 _If it’s not the blood it’s the emotions,_ Jasper sighed. He winced as her emotions flipped to overwhelmingly irritated and Edward was happy he couldn’t actually feel the emotions afflicting the pair. Edward could not for the life, or un-life, of himself think what he had done to elicit such a response from Bella. It couldn’t be her reacting to him being a vampire, she’d been completely at easy around both Emmett and Jasper who, he’d admit it, were far scarier looking than himself. So lost in his own thoughts Edward almost missed Bella turning to him of her own accord.

“Hi, I’m Bella,” she said and while she was still tense her voice at least did not show any displeasure toward him.

“Edward, I've heard a lot of...nice things about you," nice? Really? He’d heard quite a lot about her, from his family to the general student body. Most were not actually nice per say, except for his siblings and Angela but it’s not like he was going to tell her that. Besides was nice the right word to say? He felt like there was more.

Apparently, it was not the right thing to say. Bella’s jaw locked and she turned away from him, looking down at her food.

 _Smooth bro,_ Emmett said but he couldn’t hide his concern from Edward. In fact, the whole table, even Rosalie, was concerned about Bella. Something very obviously was not right.  Bella picked up a tater tot and popped it in her mouth.

"Have you enjoyed your day, Bella?" Alice asked, fishing for anything that could cause this behavior. Edward tried once again to read her mind but to no avail.

"It's actually been really fun, except for trig of course," she said and ate another tater tot. Relatable, he could mention something. He wanted to find some common ground with her.

"Mr. Varner likes to pick on people," Edward said keeping his voice as even and calming as possible. From Jasper’s thoughts, his words did not have the desired effect. Bella turned stiffly to look at him, taking a moment to chew her food.

“Yeah,” that’s it. That’s all she said. What was he supposed to do with that?

 _Edward_ , Jasper warned and Edward tampered down his own feelings. Bella stared at him and perhaps it was the lighting, maybe it was just his imagination, but Edward thought he say her face soften. He hated to admit it but Bella really was very pretty, beautiful even. He’d never seen a human quite so radiant.

Her grinding teeth and turning away broke Edward from his reverie. The movement sent a fresh wave of her scent toward him and he felt calm, even as the situation regarding Bella made him want to ask her dozens of questions and know why she seemed to hate him. He knew doing such a thing would only hurt whatever image she had of him even more.

"So Bells, have any fun plans for the weekend?" Emmett asked, never one to bow down to awkward silences. Bella smiled a little and Edward couldn’t help wishing he could get that reaction from her. Really what was going on with him? A human should not interest him this much.

"Sleeping? I guess I'm going to your house on Sunday," so soon. Leave it to Alice to get Bella over as soon as possible.

"Of course you're coming to our house, Sunday, I'm already planning what we'll do!" _She’ll have to be introduced to Carlisle and Esme, oh she’ll probably need food! Emmett will play a video game with her. Jasper and her will figure out their topics. Oh this will be so much fun!_ Alice’s thoughts were going a million miles an hour, making plans already. Emmett’s thoughts mirrored her plans and Jasper was willing to do whatever Alice wanted so long as they got some work done.

"I thought Jasper and I were just going to work on our project." Poor naive Bella thinking their family was capable of focusing on only one subject without someone interrupting.

"Of course, are you allergic to any foods?" _Esme will be excited to go grocery shopping, we never get to do that! Emmett will go with her, oh he’s going to knock over spaghetti sauce. Well, I never liked that outfit on him anyway._

Bella shook her head at Alice’s question pleasing her greatly.

"Good to know, we don't have a formal lunch at our house but since you're coming in the morning we'll have food for you to eat," Alice smiled and Bella thanked her. At least none of them would have to deal with fake eating during her visit. Edward looked down at that thought, really he should be attempting to eat and feign being a normal human. But it wasn’t like she was paying him any attention anyways.

"Play any video games?" Emmett asked. Bella looked up from her tray, a little smirk appearing on her lips.

"You bet I do."

"Oooh, we might have to test that," Emmett laughed. His excitement at a new partner who wouldn’t cheat, yeah he threw that at Edward, infected the table. Even Jasper got a momentary break from the more haywire emotions.

"We'll definitely work on our project first though," Jasper said sending a wave of relief and calmness over the table.

"Yeah, yeah of course, hey maybe Eddie can show off his piano skills," Emmett grinned and if they were only a little closer Edward would have kicked Emmett in the shin, hard. For their credit, the rest of his siblings did not find the comment funny either.

"Don't call me Eddie," Edward hissed.

 _I’m helping you out bro, don’t be so touchy,_ Emmett thought and Edward growled at him, low enough so Bella wouldn’t be able to hear. No need for her to think he was weird on top of already hating him.

Conversations that Edward stayed out of sprang up around the table. He didn’t want to talk to the others. Bella obviously didn’t like anything about him so he would subject her to himself as little as possible.

 _Drama queen,_ Jasper chided but there was little more than playfulness in his thoughts. Now that she was just focusing on eating her food and not having to deal with himself, Bella seemed calmer. Her body was still tense, every move slow and deliberate, but her emotions had stabilized to a degree.

Jasper gave Bella the tater tots on his own plate, along with several he had taken from Alice, and Edward saw the smile the gesture brought. Why hadn’t he thought of that? He couldn’t give them to her now, it would make him look desperate. Instead, Edward filed her apparent love of tater tots into his mind. If he had somehow wronged her he was determined to get into her good books.

Jasper and Alice gave him a matching knowing look.

Edward huffed.

Lunch ended sooner than Edward wanted it to. He knew what came next. Biology.

It wasn’t the class that bothered him, no it was the fact that it was the one and only class he shared with Bella. The thought both thrilled and terrified him. None of his siblings would be there to back him up and he couldn’t read her thoughts to know if he messed up and what if he made things worse?

 _You’re going to class,_ Alice thought before Edward even had a chance to explore the idea of ditching. Taking a breath, Edward turned to Bella.

"Bella," Edward said. She paused, turning to look at him and Edward almost chickened out because she looked less than happy to be speaking with him.

“Yes." So short, so stiff. What had he done?

"I don't know if Alice told you but we have Biology together next period. The only spare seat is next to me, I hope you don't mind?" If she did mind he’d find somewhere else to sit. He could charm someone into giving up their seat to go sit with her. Or he would stay silent, she wouldn’t even know he was there.

"Not at all."

Her tone did little to convince him of the sincerity of the comment.

They stood, his siblings giving him mental good luck wishes and mild threats to not upset her more. Like he could control that. Dumping their trays, they walked out of the cafeteria, Edward moving toward biology on autopilot.

He focused in on where Bella’s mental voice should be, straining to hear anything at all. Perhaps his imagination played tricks on him, perhaps his own frustrations were taking the form of faint voices, but Edward swore he heard a growl, low and dangerous. His mind snapped away from trying to read Bella’s.

So it was just his frustration forcing him to give up. He’d never had to work this hard to read someone’s mind.

They reached biology without saying a word to each other. Bella stopped to hand her slip from yesterday to Mr. Molina.

 _Didn’t she start yesterday? Oh yes, Cathy mentioned her being sick. She doesn’t look as bad as I expected. Wonder if those rumors are true..._ Edward tuned out Molina’s thoughts as Bella moved away from him to sit at the empty chair next to Edward.

The situation was tense. Edward didn’t want to make first move, he would mess up. He didn’t have skills in reading humans, he usually just read their minds. Bella definitely wouldn’t make the first move, she was barely even moving. If Edward couldn’t hear the slow draw and release of air and her beating heart he could have mistaken her for a statue. Or a vampire.

Class passed in awkward silence, only Molina’s voice breaking the stillness with his lecture. What he said held no interest to Edward. He might be looking at the board but all his focus was on Bella. She too stared at the board but she took no notes. Her eyes seemed hazy and out of focus, like she was off in some daydream, lost in her mind. How he wished he could read her thoughts.

Each second ticked by on the clock excruciatingly slowly. Truly each second intended to antagonize him; remind him of the fact he had somehow made an extraordinarily pretty girl, extraordinarily upset with him. Life always did love his pain.

The bell rang and Edward half expected Bella to already be out of her seat halfway to the door just to get away from him. Yet she turned to him, for the first time since class started.

“I don’t know where the gym is,” she said. Perfect. Wonderful. An opportunity for him to help her and thus talk to her.

That he did absolutely nothing with because what words could he possibly say to her? He pondered this question as he silently berated himself while walking away from the gym’s locker rooms. This was not some romantic play like Romeo and Juliet as he had seen from Alice’s vision. This was one step away from a situation where it would be a truth universally acknowledged that he was a dumbass incapable of even being in her presence.

Alice gave him a disappointed look when he took a seat next to her in English. He didn’t even need to read her mind to know just what she was thinking.

_We are having another meeting tonight._

Who’d have guessed?

* * *

“Bella Swan,” Carlisle held up a purple sticky note with her name written on it and stuck it to the window.

“We know three main, important facts about her. First, she does not smell like a human,” Carlisle held up a blue sticky note and put it far to the left of the name note. “Second, she reacted negatively when she encountered Edward.” Another blue sticky note placed to the right. “And finally, the main rumor about her past.” He put that above her name “Attacked in Phoenix” written and underlined in neat script.

“Pertinent facts will be written on this one,” Carlisle held up a pad of yellow sticky notes, “and fact-based theories or suspicions can be written on this one,” a green pad this time. “If you know a note is for sure connected to one of these three ideas, connect them with red string, otherwise use purple. Whoever contributes the most to creating a feasible answer to these questions will get to choose the next hunting trip location,” Carlisle finished his small speech and sat down, already pulling his laptop closer.

All seven of them sat around the oval table, the window behind Carlisle their current idea space. The assignment? Figure out what was happening with Bella Swan. Edward wanted to win, primarily because that would mean he’d have an answer tonight on why Bella seemed to hate him so much. If he knew, then maybe he could work at fixing it tomorrow.

Emmett liked to call these nights, intrigue nights. They were fun, family get-togethers revolving around solving random mysteries. Sometimes they originated as Clue games, others from shows one of them had seen on the Discovery channel.

Generally, they did not revolve around strange, new humans. In fact, Edward felt a little odd researching a girl who hated him. Granted, everything they found could be easily accessed via the internet. Carlisle forbade any of them to hack into any systems, despite the fact that those might give them more information. If it wasn’t public, they weren’t going to dig it up.

Everyone went to the window at some point, posting general information they knew about her and an ever-growing list of potential mythical creatures matching their whopping two criteria. Edward made sure to put at the top of the list a note that simply said “human”. Strange scent or not, they couldn’t overlook the simplest option. Emmett might complain about it being boring but Edward thought it better than all of Emmett’s ten notes, one of which said zombie, complete with a cartoon Bella asking for brains.

Almost two hours had passed with no solid conclusions being drawn, though they had gone through several pads of sticky notes.

 _We need a break,_ Carlisle thought and Edward couldn’t agree more. If he had to listen to Emmett sing “All I Want for Christmas” in his thoughts one more time he would launch himself over the table, laptops in the middle be damned. It was January, give Christmas a break.

“Everyone, let us take a pause and think about something else for a while. I want everyone back in here in thirty minutes or you forfeit your ability to win.”

 _Lost should be on,_ Emmett thought, drifting toward the living room. Alice and Jasper disappeared upstairs, Rosalie followed Emmett and Edward thought about taking a quick run to the meadow. Just to see if his playful wolf friend was there. No, he didn’t want to end up distracted. Tomorrow he would search for the wolf, maybe google appropriate snacks for wolves and bring some.

 _My office for a moment?_ Carlisle thought, staring at Edward. Letting the request finalize his plan, Edward followed Carlisle to his office, leaving Esme in the dining room. Carlisle leaned against his desk, arms folded, concern creasing his face.

 _I have yet to ask you how you felt about today. I’ll admit when Alice told us of her vision I was happy for you and I’d hoped today would go well._ Of course, he wanted to check up on him. Edward didn’t know if he should be irritated or touched by the gesture. Knowing Carlisle only had his best interest at heart made it easy to choose touched.

“It wasn’t my best day. Tomorrow will be better. Besides, Alice’s visions aren’t always set in stone.” Edward said ignoring Alice’s thoughts from above. Her visions did not know or dictate everything, they were merely a better than average guess. Carlisle moved forward and placed his hand on Edward’s shoulder, the action familiar and comforting.

_Okay, if tomorrow is not better though, you know where I am._

“Thanks,” Edward smiled and left, heading up to his room. He turned on his stereo and lay down on the couch. Clair de Lune filled the room with its soft tune. It washed over him and Edward let it drown out the worries that had plagued him ever since Bella Swan walked into the cafeteria.

The break ended far too soon for Edward’s taste, but at the same time he anxiously awaited figuring out how to approach Bella without her hating him. They gathered back in the dining room, taking their seats and picking up their computers to continue the search.

Not even five minutes had passed when Emmett became bored with the process.

“We should play Clue,”

“Bella is coming over in two days, I will not have you breaking the dining room table before then,” Esme said.

“This goes better if you stop looking up Scooby-Doo villains, all of them are just humans trying to commit property or inheritance fraud. That’s not Bella,” Edward said seeing what Emmett was looking at through his mind. It was the wrong thing to say, if the not one, but three voices jumping to contradict him were any indication.

Ten minutes. It took ten whole minutes for them to stop arguing. Edward hated his family. They’d only stopped because Edward agreed to watch at least three instances of the gang facing off against a real monster. No wonder humans did not have the appropriate run for the hills response around them.

Esme, the only one who’d stayed out of the argument, stood. She kept a constant humming song going in her mind, keeping Edward from knowing what she thought. But she couldn’t hide her sadness and nerves from Jasper. Alice gasped, eyes widening, shutting Edward out before he could see what she saw.

Two green sticky notes were hidden in her hand. The first she placed near the blue note about Bella being attacked, connecting them with a purple string.

 _Attack caused personality to split to help her deal with the trauma._ The neat words clashed with the ugly feeling such a theory caused.

 _That...her emotions during lunch would make more sense if that’s the case. But wasn’t that strong until..._ Jasper’s thoughts trailed off as Esme put the other note on the window. If Edward had a beating heart he knew it would have stopped.

 _A person looking similar to Edward was involved in the attack._ Silence. All the reports Edward had read only spoke of Bella being attacked by two rogue dogs, likely owned by a local gang. Nowhere had it been mentioned there being people, for it potentially having been deliberate or at least known about before her rescuers arrived. The idea of anyone just standing by and watching animals tear into a person, into Bella, sent white-hot anger through him.

Edward didn’t even realize he had stood until he heard the chair hitting the floor behind him. He knew from the tenor of his family’s minds that they found Esme’s theory likely. Jasper’s analysis of her moods lining up with such trauma, sealing the deal for him.

“I’m not going to school tomorrow.”

“Edward, wait-” Carlisle said but Edward didn’t wait. He ran from the house before Carlisle could say another word.

Maybe it was Alice’s vision getting to him, maybe it was his own jumbled feelings. He couldn't stomach the idea of hurting her in such a way. He wouldn't. His siblings would uncover the truth and if they found Esme's theory not to be the case then he'd come back around, make up some excuse like always.

And if it was, well, he could go live with the Denalis.

Or maybe not, he didn't want to deal with Kate for such a long time and was a single human really going to send him running from his family? No. No, she was not, no matter how much his gut twisted at the idea of causing her emotional or mental pain.

However, he still wasn’t going to school tomorrow. Or maybe not even the day after. Give her a chance to work through her trauma without him messing everything up.

He found himself in the meadow once more, alone. No wolf friend in sight. Sighing, Edward lay there, losing track of all time. He did not stir till the sun had risen and school started.

Slowly he trudged back to the house, shaking off the water that had accumulated on him throughout the night. Esme welcomed him back but let him be when he entered the house and ran for his room. Putting in a homemade cd, Edward laid on his couch, listening only to the sounds of piano and strings.

Jasper of all people pulled him out of his still state by turning off the music.

 _Come do somethin, I’m not dealing with ya like this all night,_ he thought holding the stereo remote. Edward weighed the pros and cons of fighting Jasper for the remote so he could return to resting on the couch. Jasper’s smirk was all Edward needed to know that any sort of engagement would result in Edward not getting to spend the night alone in his room.

 _Rose’s in the garage, got some new ideas for your car,_ Jasper walked out of Edward’s room still holding the remote. With a heavy sigh, Edward went to the garage. For all her moodiness, Rose still knew him best and when to not pry. She talked a little about school, how Bella had made a friend in Angela Webber, but the conversation ended quickly after that, moving onto the safer subject of cars. On said subject they stayed well into the night, tinkering around. Edward ignored Jasper’s smug thoughts.

Near midnight, he left again, running for the meadow. The wolf was not there.

This time he did not go back when the sun rose, nor all throughout the day. He just laid there, not letting any of his emotions out of their boxes. The wolf still did not come.

He stayed till once more the sun set and the moon rose. A full moon.

In the distance, he heard a howl.


	6. Full Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alice's visions go dark as the full moon rises and werewolves come out to play.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh y'all are so amazing, I'm so glad you liked the last chapter so much! This one has been written for a while now so I hope y'all like it just as much. Thanks again!

Friday night.

A time to unwind from the week. It had been far more stressful than even she could have predicted.

Alice curled up next to Jasper, letting him soothe away her worries and draw gentle patterns on her back. He hummed a tune and held a book in his other hand, one about the Revolution going by the cover.

The house was quiet, still processing the strange week. Rose in the garage, Esme and Carlisle in the study, and Emmett just walking outside, getting ready to go for a short boredom relieving hunt. Edward was still not back from his run late last night. She didn't worry about him though. In her visions, she saw him in his favorite meadow, coming back to them soon. Hopefully, he wouldn't be too dramatic about the whole ordeal.

Knowing him, that hope would be in vain.

Idly, she flicked through the other's futures. Nothing all that new, though each future she saw became fuzzier; like a decision could be made to change it all, but no one had decided to make even that decision. Perhaps her doubts were making the visions shaky.

Alice paused as she flicked to watching Emmett's future, the scene swirling and twisting, a decision in the making. She saw him turn, too bright eyes watching him from the darkness of the woods. Nothing. The vision went black.

The vision never went black. Not unless...

"Emmett!" Alice yelled, flying up and toward the window. Her cry enough to stir everyone else in the house. Jasper was at her side and gone just as fast, leaping through the window and crashing into the absolutely gigantic wolf lunging for Emmett. The wolf snarled at the impact, Jasper's own fate flashing before Alice's eyes before going black.

No.

No, no, no.

Jasper lashed out while the wolf was still stunned, throwing it into a tree. A crack sounded through the area as the tree broke, falling into the forest with a resounding crash.

Emmett and Jasper faced the beast as it shook its massive form. Alice dashed outside, Carlisle, Esme and Rose hot on her heels. Holding Jasper's arm, Alice tried to calm herself and ignore the fact that everyone's but Edward's future had just gone black. She had no idea the outcome this encounter would bring. She refused to believe what a dark future meant to be true.

The beast snarled, standing on all fours. It was smaller than the Quileute wolves but not by much, and far, far more dangerous looking. Silence, then the creature reared up, balancing easily on its hind legs.

At least nine feet of muscle rippled beneath a thick greyish coat. Claws, razor sharp and deadly, glimmered in the patchy full moonlight. A roar split the air, piercing down to Alice's very soul. Jasper gripped her hand. For the first time in a long time, Alice felt fear slide through her veins.

A true werewolf had made its way to Forks.

The beast lunged.

Jasper met it first once again, Emmett on his heels, brute strength backing up skill. Its speed gave it the advantage, lashing out at both so fast its paws blurred.

Claws struck Emmett, slicing deep into his side and tossing him like a ragdoll. Rose caught him before he hit another tree, Emmett's face contorted in pain.

It had a harder time catching Jasper, Alice coming from behind, and leaping onto the beast's back to throw it off balance. Without her visions, she had no idea what decisions to make, but she would not let her mate fight this monster alone. Carlisle dodged the deadly claws, working to keep its attention. Alice dug her hands into the beast's sides and it snarled in response.

Lunging forward, it leaped out of the reach of Jasper and Carlisle, heading straight for Esme. It dove into a roll, surprising Alice as it trapped her beneath its weight and twisted, jaws opening as her hold was knocked away.

She saw the gaping maw and deadly teeth. Then scarred skin in front of her, between her and the beast. The teeth snapped down around Jasper's arm and side.

Pain.

Waves of pain crashed into Alice. If it was Jasper's or her own, she did not know. The beast righted itself, Jasper hanging from its jaws, only to be met with Carlisle and Esme ramming into its side, forcing Jasper out of its grip.

He landed several feet away, hitting the ground hard, unmoving. He didn't stir. If she had had a beating heart, Alice was sure it would have stopped.

Esme and Carlisle pushed the beast into Emmett. He wrapped his arms around its torso and squeezed, ignoring how the movement opened the gashes in his side further.

Rose scaled Emmett's shoulder, hands aiming for the beast's head. Cracking echoed through the clearing as the beast's bones broke under the strain.

Its head swung down, Rose reaching for it, only to sail over instead.

Emmett cried out as its teeth sunk into his shoulder, forcing him to release his grip. The monster threw him straight through the house.

Alice might not have her visions but that didn't mean she didn't have a very clear understanding of their probabilities for winning. They're two strongest fighters had already been taken out and the beast, while wounded, didn't seem at all ready to stop in its attack. She knew this and yet it meant nothing to her.

The four remaining Cullen's swarmed the beast. It would not hurt any more of their family.

Carlisle dove for its hind legs, hoping to knock it off balance. Esme and Alice darting around it, dodging its claws and keeping its eyes on them. Rose leaped once more onto its back but didn't aim for the head. Instead, she sunk her own teeth right into the beast's shoulder.

A twisted howl ripped from its throat.

The beast crashed down on all fours, trapping Carlisle beneath it. It stepped back onto him, and Alice heard him cry out.

Esme paused at the sound and its massive head rammed into her side, throwing her toward the river. Alice reached for it missing by a hair, the beast dashing away toward the trees, Rose still on its back.

It threw itself against the tree, giving Rose nowhere to escape. Its claws tore into its own flesh until finally catching Rose's leg and yanking her off its back, flinging her into the woods.

Alice's visions flickered, showing the beast lunging toward herself. The only one standing, the only one between the beast and Jasper.

The vision went black and the beast leaped, jaws open.

Alice would not move.

Edward came out of the trees at full beast turned just in time, catching him in its jaws and sending them skidding backward. Edward cried out, arms coming up to bash at its nose. It whined and threw him against a tree, shattering it as well. The crash echoing through the still and quiet clearing.

The beast had stopped.

Alice's vision cleared. The beast left, all of them just where they currently were. She didn't know why and Alice certainly didn't need to know. All she needed was for it to be true. She needed it away from her family.

"Stop!" She yelled, making her family freeze where they were slowly getting up. She didn't dare say another word, hoping they trusted her enough to follow her order until the vision came to pass.

The beast stared at Edward, tilting its head. With a great huff and a whine, it looked around at the rest of them. Somehow, it looked calmer. It growled, shaking its fur and taking off into the woods.

Alice felt herself breath a sigh of relief once it was out of her hearing range, heading away from town.

She was at Jasper's side in a heartbeat. Gently, she held him, examining the body she knew so well, taking it the new wounds. Large teeth marks, so dissimilar from the ones covering the rest of his body, marred his right arm and side. His eyes were closed but opening, slowly opening. Movement was all she needed. She pulled him into a tight embrace, all her fear and love and pain racing through her. A hiss of pain had her pulling back.

"Yer strong darlin," Jasper said, one hand reaching up to touch her cheek, the other hand going to his wounded side. His words worried her. They both knew Jasper was easily stronger than her, her strength shouldn't hurt him.

"Carlisle," Alice said and her father was there, helping Jasper to sit up as well.

"Easy, the venom is weakening you, don't make any fast movements," he ordered.

"Esme, go and get supplies from my office, we need to move inside," the implied, in case it comes back, was not lost on Alice. She scooped her love into her arms, gently lifting him off the ground.

"Now this is a reversal darlin, can't say I'm opposed," Jasper said and she could feel him trying to make her laugh, trying to alleviate the fear.

"You'll have to remember for later then," Alice gave him a smile she knew didn't reach her eyes. But Jasper didn't have time to respond as she was placing him on one of the couches, Edward already on another, carried by a slightly limping Carlisle, and Rose bringing Emmett into the room. Carlisle was there, kneeling next to Jasper and easily taking off his shirt so he could see the bite more clearly.

"Will I finally get a cool scar?" Emmett asked as Rose set him in a leaned back recliner. Carlisle chuckled.

"I'd assume so," Carlisle said opening a bottle containing vampire venom, a useful tool if anyone lost any body parts. Carlisle dabbed some onto his fingers, running the liquid over Jasper's wounds like a thin paste, smoothing out the dents the teeth had left.

"It's going to take a few days for the wolf venom to work its way out of your system. You three are going to feel weak until it does and I don't want you pulling at these. They can and will get worse if you don't let them heal."

"Did y'all kill the damn wolf?" Jasper asked.

"No."

"What? Why are we here then? It could go after all the humans. If we got hurt they don't stand a chance," Emmett said, sitting up only to be forced back down by Rose.

"No." Carlisle's voice was clear and firm, leaving no room for arguments. "We are lucky enough we didn't lose any of you tonight. If we fight again we may not stay so lucky." Carlisle stood, handing rolls of gauze and bandages to Alice. She thanked him and set to work on Jasper, bandaging him up so the venom would stay where it was and heal him faster.

"What was that thing anyway?" Emmett asked, wincing as his movements pulled at his own bite and claw marks. Carlisle moved toward him.

"That was a Child of the Moon, a true werewolf. There is a reason they are hunted. They are beyond powerful during a full moon, capable of taking out whole covens in a night, even if they are human for the rest of the month."

"What could one be doing here?" Edward asked groggily, finally shaking off the venom enough to think. Alice breathed a sigh of relief, glad all three of them would be fine.

"I would guess just passing through but, it's hard to tell with them. They are irrational creatures, even more so than many vampires." Carlisle finished tending to Emmett, giving Rose the same supplies he gave Alice and went to Edward and Esme.

"You don't think it could have been someone new in town right?" Edward asked. Carlisle shook his head before Edward even finished.

"Werewolves smell like humans up until they shift for the full moon. Besides, she would have instinctually wanted to get away from all of us when she was vulnerable."

"What Eddie? You worried Bella was the wolf? We're pals, she wouldn't attack us like that," Emmett said shrugging and trying to stand, something Rose was having none of.

Alice sighed at Carlisle's explanation, her own concern mirroring Edward's. She wanted to believe what Emmett said, so badly did she hope Bella would actually become their friend.

But as Carlisle had said, werewolves were irrational to a dangerous extent.


	7. Saturday and Meeting the Cullen's

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bella suffers for the full moon and goes to the Cullen's house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Sorry, it's been a little longer, I had Fall break and that slowed my writing speed. Hope you all like this chapter! I think its the longest one yet!

Bella’s first time running with Red without the company of Jonathan or Martha took place on a half moon. Not four months had passed since the attack and the two of them were still working out their coordination and relationship. Martha thought a run alone together would do them well. At the half moon, they wouldn‘t be a real danger to anyone and Red only stood an inch taller than a regular wolf so they wouldn’t stick out.  Everything should have gone well if not for an argument breaking out between Bella and Red.

What it was about, neither can remember, but it ended with them being hit by a car. Red was the only reason she didn’t die that night. Waking up the morning after had since reigned as the second most painful time in her life.

What could she say? Getting run over by a car sucked.

Which was why Bella’s first assumption upon waking up was that a semi-truck had hit her and dragged her under all eighteen wheels.

_ What the hell happened?  _ Bella asked, not even daring to open her eyes. Her head pounded. Red stayed quiet.  _ Red? What happened? _ Red whined.

Got into fight.

_ With what? A monster truck?  _ Red barked a laugh but quieted when the sound sent a spike of pain through Bella’s skull.

Person.

_ Pft, yeah right. Who could do this to us?  _ Bella hesitated after asking, not sure she wanted to know. On one hand, if what Red said was true, they were likely dead. Few people met a full moon werewolf and walked away. However, someone who made them hurt in the morning might have stood a fighting chance. Anything capable of fending off a werewolf was not someone she needed to meet again. Red stayed quiet. Cursing the stubbornness of wolves, Bella opened her eyes and rolled toward her phone, hissing as the movement made her head pulse and her whole torso ache.

She clicked on an all too familiar number, rolling back over and closing her eyes as the phone rang.

“Bella?” A feminine voice said.

“Hey Martha, is Jonathan there? Something happened last night,” there was a shuffle, muffled voices Bella didn’t even try to make out then Jonathan was greeting her.

“Are you alright?” He asked and Bella smiled at the obvious concern in his voice.

“I’m alive, feel like a semi-truck hit me, but alive.”

“Were you hit by a semi?”

“Don’t think so, Red says we got in a fight with a person,”

“Fight? With what? How do you feel?” His barrage of questions took her a moment to process and she could only answer one.

Bella listed off her headache and torso, throwing in the general achiness of all her muscles. The two conversed, and she waited until they included her.

“Bella, has there been anyone suspicious looking around Forks? Red eyes, maybe a few disappearing humans? Red wouldn’t like them.”

“Only people Red hasn’t liked are the Cullen’s, but they’re over that now. Besides, they don’t have red eyes, weird gold ones sure, but not red.”

“How did you meet them?”

“They go to high school with me, they live outside of town, I think their dad works at the hospital?”

“We can rule them out then,” Martha scoffed.

Bella knew by her tone she didn‘t like whatever they were talking about. She got the feeling the comment was more toward Jonathan than her. Still though…

“Rule them out as what?”

“Vampires, your achiness and headache sound like it bit you, I’d say you might have broken a few ribs too,” Vampires? Yeah, not the Cullens.

Bella vaguely remembered learning about them not long after she turned. Other supernatural creatures was a touchy subject for the pair. Both were old and had dealt with their fair share of monsters during their time as wardens in Phoenix. Due to them, other creatures were not a big issue in the city due to them and they didn’t bother her with Jonathan and Martha staying so close.

She’d never met a vampire but the Cullen’s didn’t fit the vibe she got from movies and internet lore. Neither did she but scary werewolf stories had a basis in facts and so to must fictional vampires.

“You probably ran into some nomads, I doubt you will have to worry about them. Even covens of vampires fear us on the full moon. I doubt they are still alive,” Jonathan said.

Bella flinched thinking of them killing anything other than animals last night. Though vampires killed humans so in a way maybe she had saved lives? Red still seemed too guilty for Bella to be comfortable with the whole thing.

Jonathan and Martha chatted with her for a while longer, asking her mundane questions about school and how she was settling in. By the end of the call, Bella felt mildly better, Red working hard to heal her. Hanging up, Bella took her time getting out of bed. Every aspect of her ached, but it was workable.

The walk to the bathroom took far longer than Bella remembered and not for the first time Bella thanked whoever was up there that Charlie was out fishing today so he wouldn’t see her like this and ask questions.

Upon reaching the bathroom Bella looked in the mirror, wincing at the purplish bruises under her eyes.

_ Broken nose? _

Red whined in response.

She stripped, wanting to see what other damage remained. She felt as good as she looked. Her torso was a mass of black and blue bruises. A distinctive bite mark in the shape of a human mouth marred her shoulder, leaving the area sore. So for sure a vampire. Wonderful. While not bleeding or showing signs of infection, the wound hadn’t healed.

_ Bad venom making us slow. Tiring. Trying best.  _ Red said, taking in the wounds.

_ I’m sure you are. Just don’t pick a fight with a vampire next full moon.  _ Red perked up at her teasing tone, happy she wasn’t too mad at them and assuring her they wouldn’t.

Smiling, Bella hoped in the shower, letting the hot water relieve the tension. Red moved through her, working to heal but they were sluggish, uncoordinated. Red hit damaged areas as much as they fixed them. After the third yelp, Bella hastened her shower time.

Several apologies from Red later, Bella hopped out of the shower. The bruises under her eyes had faded to a lighter shade of blue. Her torso could not say the same.

Bella dabbed around the bite wound and wrapped it in some gauze, not wanting it to become infected before Red could heal it. Tomorrow her bruises would look better if Red’s prediction for when the venom would wear off was correct. Good, it would be awkward to show up to the Cullens covered in bruises, especially the ones on her nose.

Heading downstairs, Bella pulled out a pack of roast beef, opening it up and eating the contents. Red grumbled about it not being fresh, but they both needed the energy and Bella was in no state to shift again. Polishing off the package, Bella tossed it and grabbed a Tupperware of leftover mashed potatoes. As it heated, Bella made an ice pack. She brought it and the Tupperware to the couch, curling up to watch tv as she ate.

Red left her alone mostly, diligent in their task of fixing them up. Exhaustion caught up to her quickly and upon finishing up the potatoes, Bella turned off the tv. She wrote a note telling Charlie she’d be sleeping when he came back and to not wake her, placing it next to his own note before going back upstairs. She settled down on her back and built her pillows up around her to keep herself from moving too much. Hissing at the aching, Red turned their attention to her. A wave of calm spread through her as Red curled around her consciousness, humming her gently to sleep.

* * *

 

Sunday came early. Jittery nerves saw the clock blinking an unholy six am.

_ Sleeping all day yesterday does not mean we wake up early today. _

_ Bored. Run? Still dark? _

_ Absolutely not. I’m still sore from Friday _ . Red whined but left her alone. Warmth flooded her chest, easing the aching muscles and bones.

_ Thanks, bud. _ A rush of affection from Red had Bella smiling and shaking her head. Stupid, lovable dog.

Charlie’s strong heartbeat thudded from his room down the hall. Bella stood and tiptoed toward the bathroom. Didn’t need him waking up and seeing her if Red hadn’t finished healing her face. Red growled and Bella mouthed along to their offended rant.

Their offense had a reason. The light buzzed and flickered as it warmed up but it illuminated her unbruised face. Her ribs were not in the same state. Still, a blue-green color was better than they’d been. The bite on her shoulder was probably the least improved. Considering a scary venomous monster of the night had bitten her there, it was doing well.

Complimenting Red on their work, Bella threw her shirt back on and slipped downstairs. Eggs sounded good. Ooh and bacon.

Halfway through opening the bacon package and nearly drooling at the prospect of eating it, Bella realized Red was messing with their cravings.

_ Too late now. _

_ Can’t stop me from cooking it. _

Charlie stumbled downstairs to a full coffee pot, a plate of eggs and a mountain of bacon.

“Pancakes will be ready in a couple minutes!” Bella smiled and waved.

“You’re... chipper,” Charlie said.

He reached blindly for a mug that Bella already had in hand.

“Early bird catches the worm, plus I slept all day yesterday so,” no need to add in the hungry dog in her head helping her move at such a cursed time. The clock didn’t even read eight yet.

Charlie grunted and drank his coffee, grabbing a plate and digging into the small feast Bella had prepared. Bella ignored Red’s complaints at him eating their food and plated up the last of ten pancakes. Setting them down at the table, Bella almost missed Charlie’s surprise.

“Think you made enough?”

_ No. _

“I’m a little hungry,” Bella scratched the back of her head and chewed on a piece of bacon. Charlie nodded, and they descended into silence.

Scrapping the syrup off her plate, Bella looked up in surprise when Charlie cleared his throat.

“You have any plans today?”

“Yeah, I’m going over to the Cullen’s house. Jasper and I need to work on a government project,” huh guess telling Charlie that had slipped her mind. Awkward and unfortunate. Worry gnawed at her but was unfounded, Charlie beamed at her words.

“The Cullen’s you say? That’s a good bunch of kids, glad you’re getting to work with one. People say a lot of things about that family so it’s good you’re not listening,” Charlie seemed to get fired up at the mere thought of people saying something bad about the Cullens. Well to be fair, Bella would have a few choice words if someone said anything rude.

“When are you heading over?” Charlie’s question caught Bella off guard. It was a... good question. One she should have thought of like two days ago. Alice said morning, right?

“I don’t know?” Bella said, regretting every choice in life she’d made to bring her to such a precarious point. She didn’t even have the address. Or a phone number.

Charlie chuckled at her expression.

“Well, I’m sure you’ll figure it out and if you need anything, let me know. Maybe I can get in touch with the good doctor for you. Thanks for breakfast, this was nice,” he gestured to the table at large.

Bella’s heart filled with emotion. He seemed so happy at the simple act and his willingness to help might just salvage her day. This breakfast thing might have to become more regular. Charlie grabbed both of their plates and ran the sink.

“Yeah, no problem,” Bella said and slunk back upstairs to figure out what to do. As much as she appreciated Charlie’s offer, she wanted to think up her own way of fixing this mistake. First, she messed up with Edward now this. They’d really think she hated them if she kept going on this path which is why she wanted to figure it out. Bella flopped face first onto her bed and hissed as her ribs throbbed. What a dumb idea. A nuzzle against her consciousness from Red was enough to make Bella smile.

_ Someone is lovey-dovey today. _

Red barked and moved closer, offering her all the comfort they could give. With a sigh, Bella got up and went to her closet. She’d figure this out and it would start with her getting ready.

Though her closet hardly had anything good. Damn the Cullens for always having nice clothes. The closest thrift shop was in Port Angeles and she hadn’t been able to look there for many non-plaid related clothes yet. Red helped her reluctantly decide on a comfortable green sweater over a t-shirt and khaki pants. Their use of the word studious both convinced Bella to wear the outfit and compliment Red for their expanding vocab.

Ten o’clock rolled around as Bella packed her bag. A doorbell ringing made her pause and stick her head out her door.

“Oh, hello Chief Swan!” A chipper voice said. Alice. Bella heard her introduce herself and the accompanying southern drawl. She rushed to the top of the stairs to see two Cullen’s standing in the doorway.

“Alice, Jasper,”

“Bella! We realized we never gave you our address,” Alice laughed at the mistake. Bella felt a rush of relief. They didn’t blame her for the mix-up.

“I thought of that this morning too.”

“If you’re ready, we can drive ya over. If that’s alright with you Chief,” Jasper said grinning easily.

“Course, Bella are you-?” He trailed off.

“I still gotta get my bag,” she pointed down the hall.

“Take as long as you’d like, can we come in?” Alice directed the second part at Charlie and Bella didn’t stick around for the answer though she heard the pair walk into the living room. She finished throwing her notebooks into a bag and grabbed a pen. Did she need anything else?

_ Just school project? All you need. _ Red was right. Throwing on her bag and taking one last glance at the mirror, Bella ran downstairs.

Tripping on the stairs did not help her already short air supply and really it was not Bella’s fault. Last she remembered there were twelve stairs, not thirteen. The ground came up too fast, Red and Bella yelping in surprise. Cold hands on her shoulders steadied her.

“Hey now, easy there,” Jasper said smiling down at her. The bite on her shoulder burned and Bella had to suppress a wince. He’d saved her from falling, not his fault if he hit her vampire bite. He wouldn’t even know such a thing possible.

“You all right?”

“Yeah, thanks, sorry I’m so clumsy,” Bella laughed it off and straightened herself, trying to take in deep breaths to calm her racing heart without looking strange or causing more pain. Alice and Charlie stood in the doorway to the living room, watching them.

“Good catch, try not to slip on your day out,” Charlie said.

“Don’t worry Chief, even if she does our father will be home and he can patch her up. We’ll take good care of her and have her home before dinner.”

“Thanks, Alice, alright well scram all of you. I got a date with the tv and I’m already late.”

“Bye Dad.”

“Bye Bells,” they waved, and the door shut behind Jasper.

On the side of the street sat the shiny silver Volvo the Cullens drove to school every day. Red wagged their tail at the sight and barked as she slid into the backseat, Alice in the drivers. 

“Have a good sleep day?” Jasper asked as Alice sped onto the street.

“Oh yeah, slept most of the day,” she wouldn’t have if not for renegade vampires. Oh, what was she talking about? Yes, she would. The full moon shifts took a lot of energy.

“Really? That must be nice,” Jasper said smiling over at Alice. She threw him a look Bella had no hope of deciphering. Jasper placed his hand over Alice’s a cute gesture Bella would coo at if in a movie. To be in love and know someone so well. Maybe they’d have that someday. Red chuffed.

The three of them settled into a comfortable silence, Bella watching the trees fly past them at a too fast pace. In no time at all, the car slowed and turned down a road Bella didn’t even see till they were already speeding down it. Even with directions, Bella wouldn’t have found their street on her own.

A mile down the trees parted and Bella sucked in a breath. A house, or maybe mansion was a better term, rose out of the field. Light wood and windows, oh so many windows, were there any real walls? Bella was no connoisseur of fine architecture but she was sure this had to be in the top ten most beautiful houses in the world.

“Welcome to Casa de Cullen,” Alice said as she parked in the front driveway. Bella, speechless, got out of the car and stared up in wonder.

“It’s beautiful,” she breathed. The word didn’t do the sight justice.

“Tell that to Esme, she’s done a lot of work to make this place our home.” Alice tugged on her sleeve, snapping Bella out of her stupor.

_ Isn’t it wonderful? _ She asked Red, but they remained silent, sulking near the back of her mind as they had been since they turned down the Cullen’s road. Huh, would have thought they’d be jumping at the possibility of seeing honey-boy. Well, she wouldn’t complain, she could act normal around him, maybe fix the horrible impression she’d left on Wednesday.

A man and a woman, both as gorgeous as all the others under their roof, stood in the foyer. He was tall and blonde, pale as the rest of them but with an older look. Like someone who’d seen everything yet the kind smile on his face set her at ease. The woman’s caramel hair framed an equally tender face that seemed thrilled to see her. She reminded Bella of her mother or Martha. All of them gave off the same loving vibe.

“Bella, these are our adoptive parents, Carlisle and Esme,” Alice introduced both though Bella could have made an educated guess as to who they were.

“It’s so nice to meet you, I’ve heard quite a bit already,” Esme said smiling at her.

“All good things I hope,” Bella said, rubbing her arm. Esme laughed and Carlisle grinned, stepping closer. He looked from Bella to the two behind her, addressing all of them.

“Of course. Feel free to make yourself at home. A friend of one of us is a friend to all and more than welcome in our house. I made Rose clear off the dining room table for you two to work on whenever you wish.”

“I think we’ll start now, get somethin done before someone distracts us.”

“We can give you a tour later, during a break if that’s fine with you?” Alice asked and Bella could only nod. She hadn’t even been expecting a tour, granted she hadn’t been expecting a house like this, but she certainly would not argue with anything they said.

They bid Esme, Alice and Carlisle farewell and Jasper led her down a hallway and up a small flight of stairs. Bella continued to marvel at the simple elegance of the house as they delved deeper. Questions for her future tour already buzzed in her head, Red adding in their own but staying fairly quiet.

The dining room was a light and open area. A large oval table dominated the space, surrounded by glass giving a spectacular view of the backyard. Bella wandered over to it, amazed. She still missed the brown of Phoenix but the sight questioned her disdain for the greenery of Forks.

“Marvelous isn’t it?” Jasper asked, coming to stand next to her.

“The woods look beautiful from here,” she replied. Her eyes landed on several of the trees near the forest line. Two right along the edge had fallen, wood splinters littering the ground. Seeing where her eyes had taken her, Jasper answered before she could even ask a question.

“We had a nasty storm blow through not too long ago. Took out a few trees and damaged the house too,” how awful. A house this beautiful didn’t deserve to be damaged. Bella couldn’t help thinking the trees looked like something large had run into them but storm a storm could have caused the damage. Jasper drew her attention away and banished the thought from her mind.

They worked together with ease, bouncing ideas for court cases off one another until they decided on the perfect three. Hopefully, only a few people would choose them. Jasper seemed confident no one would. Descending into silence to work out ideas for approaching the cases was rougher than Bella imagined. The silence of the house was deafening, didn’t seven people live here? Maybe they weren’t all at home.

_ Red, let me hear something. I’m going mad. _

_ No need, quiet good. _

_ Really? You’re saying that? I’m calling BS, give me my hearing. _

_ Jasper be loud. _

_ Don’t care, you can turn it down when he talks again. _

_ Effort. _

_ What is your deal? Let me hear.  _ Bella’s irritation grew at each of Red’s attempts to dodge her request. It shouldn’t be a big deal. The full moon was two days ago, so hearing heartbeats wouldn’t make them that hungry. A rush of calm ran through her but it only pissed Bella off even more. Red would not mix up their emotions to win.

Whining, Red relented in the face of her anger. Bella ducked her head to hide her triumphant smile from Jasper, only to immediately wince.

Seven distinct heartbeats thudded from around the house, all far too loud. The sound seemed to press in on her own head and her own blood seemed to pump to their jilting beat.

_ Hilarious, you know this isn’t what I meant. _

_ You asked. _

_ Shut it. _ The uncomfortably loud heartbeats faded but the sound of birds outside and Jasper’s breathing stayed.

Bella looked up to see if Jasper had noticed her odd behavior throughout their little argument. Poor boy seemed to have other issues besides her though. His pen had broken, spilling ink all over his notebook. Footsteps coming into the room cut her off before she could ask what happened, Emmett clicking his tongue at Jasper’s ruined notebook.

“I say you take that as a sign,” Emmett said, coming to stand near Bella.

“A sign to what?”

“Stop, enjoy the day, there’s more to life than hitting the books I hope you know.”

“Yeah and more than watching anime too,”

“Ouch, well you’re not even the one I wanted to talk to. Bella, now that Jazz can’t work, do you wanna play a video game with me?” Bella glanced at Jasper, unsure how she should answer. He shrugged.

“A break’s probably in order, can’t do much with his,” he gestured to the notebook.

“Alright! I got the ultimate racing game pulled up, let's go,” Emmett beamed and Bella laughed at his enthusiasm. Esme entered the room, shaking her head at Emmett’s antics and stopping next to Jasper, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“It’s past noon, are you hungry Bella? Carlisle and I made Alfredo.” Her posture straightened at her words and her smile widened. Bella wondered if it was a new dish for her to make. Her shift showed a level of pride and Bella found it adorable. She would take Esme up on the offer after she took care of one thing first.

“That sounds great, but is there a bathroom I could use?”

“Up the stairs and down the hall, on your left,” Alice chirped, Bella almost missing her too light footsteps.

Well, this was turning into quite the party.

Bella thanked her and left before more people came in and claimed her attention. Following Alice’s instructions, Bella found the bathroom without trouble and took care of her business. She pulled up her shirt and frowned at the still slow progress on her ribs. At least the edges were more yellow than they’d been in the morning. Music caught her attention as she washed her hands. It was beautiful and familiar, in a way she couldn’t quite place. She couldn’t help following the sound, letting it wash over her and calm what minor nerves she had.

The music came from a room right down the hall from the bathroom; the door closed. She ran through a mental list of the Cullen’s she had seen to place who could be beyond the door. Four had just been downstairs with her and she knew from Jasper that two others were not in their rooms. That left one. The one she longed to see the most and never wanted to set eyes on again. One bad impression was bad enough, a shiver went through her thinking about messing up again. But she’d never get over the bad if she didn’t even try.

Bella stood outside the door, hand raised just listening to the sweet music. She couldn’t quite place it, the names of old composers escaping her despite her appreciation. If she knocked, she could ask. That would make for a good transition into what she wanted to say. Taking a fortifying breath, Bella knocked on the door. 

Honey-boy, no Edward, answered not a second later. Red hummed in her ear and Bella would give them credit for her heart skipping a beat. It was not because he was very pretty, beautiful even.

“I heard your music,” Bella said, half focused on Red to gauge their reaction. All this would be for naught if they acted up. Red huffed and reminded her of their promise to behave. 

“You like Debussy?” Edward said pulling Bella’s focus back to him.

How could she have forgotten that name!

“Yes, yes I do, Clair de Lune?” 

She recognized the lilting music as one of Debussy’s few works her mother would play on her old record player while they cleaned the house. Bella hadn’t listened to the song in a long time, not since well before Red came into her life. The tune brought back memories of open windows and easy spring day both of which she would have to revisit when she wasn’t attempting to apologize to a gorgeous boy for her head-mate’s awful behavior. 

“Mm, few people know of him.” 

“My mom and I listened to him around the house sometimes but she’s a bigger fan of Mozart.”

“He’s good, but Debussy is more fun to play. Who do you prefer?” Right, he played the piano. Emmett mentioned that. 

“Chopin,” Edward hummed at that and Bella took it to mean he didn’t disagree with her taste. Nice as this conversation was, this wasn’t what she’d come to say. Red paced and despite their insistence they’d behave, Bella felt herself tensing. Get this over, nice and quick.

“I, I wanted to apologize,” Bella said and her eyes slid away from his face.

“For what?” Like he didn’t know. His feigned confusion was convincing, but there was no way he hadn’t noticed her behavior.

“How I acted on Wednesday, I was short-tempered and you don’t deserve that.”

“Oh,” he breathed out the word and Bella felt his eyes on her but didn’t want to look up from the highly interesting spot on the floor.

“Do you mind if I ask why? You’re forgiven either way,” he deserved some kind of explanation but what could she say and not sound insane? 

“You reminded me of someone and I wasn’t expecting it, can we start over?” Bella looked up at that. If she wanted to make things right with him, then she had to put forth more effort. Either her answer or her action startled him. He stood a foot further back then she remembered, his expression entirely unreadable. Bella wondered just what ran through his head. These were the times being a mind reader would be beneficial, how else should she know if she’d done something wrong? Edward stayed silent and even Red ceased their pacing, sending confusion and some other emotion through her.

“I’m Edward Cullen,” his golden eyes had narrowed, his words hesitant.

Bella had to hold back a laugh at his comment. 

She had requested for them to start over. A smile, warm and kind, graced his lips and his golden eyes seemed to shine when she couldn’t hold in all her amusement. Her tension melted away under his gaze, so beautiful and dare she say it, tender, but cautious. Red stayed still, letting her have this moment they’d deprived her of the first time she met Edward. 

“Bella Swan,” she stuck out her hand. 

He took it, shocking her with its coldness and leaving her hand tingling. Red all but purred at the sensation and Bella smiled happily at their pleasure. “We have biology together, right?”

“We do, only seat available is the one next to me. Hope you’re alright being my lab partner?”

“I seem to be partners with the rest of your siblings, might as well continue the trend.” He laughed lightly at that and this time Bella blamed him for her heart skipping a beat.


End file.
